Workers lay out signs that read “Run Joe Run” ahead of a speech by former Vice President Joe Biden to the International Association of Firefighters at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) 
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the International Association of Firefighters at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, amid growing expectations he’ll soon announce he’s running for president. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) 
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to the International Association of Firefighters at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, amid growing expectations he’ll soon announce he’s running for president. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
WASHINGTON | Former Vice President Joe Biden is criticizing President Donald Trump’s leadership and questioning Republicans’ commitment to middle class America, teasing out themes of a possible 2020 presidential run.
Biden, a Democrat, spoke Tuesday to a gathering of the International Fire Fighters Association.
He has not announced a presidential bid, but the audience waved “Run Joe, Run” signs. Biden asked them to save their energy a little longer, because “I may need it in a few weeks.”
Biden repeatedly ripped into Republicans, questioning those who oppose collective bargaining rights, saying: “Who the hell are these guys?”
He also criticized the Republican-championed tax cut signed into law by Trump, arguing they benefit the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.