Viral Swing: How Joe Biden's 'folksy' style has caused him trouble

In a public service career spanning six decades, former US vice president Joe Biden has developed a folksy style with a reputation for speaking off the cuff, which has occasionally landed him in hot water. Since being elected to the senate for Delaware in 1972, Mr Biden has espoused the working class values he learned in his youth in Scranton, Pennsylvania. But the everyman persona has at times exposed “Uncle Joe” to accusations of racism and sexism for unguarded comments. In one off-script moment from the presidential campaign trail last year, Mr Biden said “poor kids are just as talented as white kids”, when he presumably meant to say rich kids. President Donald Trump tried to exploit Mr Biden’s gaffes, repeatedly questioning the mental acuity of his 77-year-old rival and labelling him “Sleepy Joe”. Mr Trump made a Biden gaffe reel a staple at his rallies. In Butler, Pennsylvania, last October, the president smirked and his fans laughed at a clip where Mr Biden said he was running for the senate instead of the presidency.