MUSCATINE, Iowa -- Former Vice President Joe Biden told voters in Muscatine and Clinton today that this year's Iowa caucuses might be the most important ever.
On his statewide "Soul of the Nation" bus tour on Tuesday, Biden said the country might be able to tolerate just four years under President Trump, but "eight years of Donald Trump will fundamentally change the character of who we are as a country."
Defeating Trump in November appears to be his top priority as he makes a final push for Iowa voters to caucus for him.
"It’s time to get the heck up, take back the country in a way that we can," Biden said. "We have never, ever failed in anything we’ve done in war or peace, as long as we stick together, so let's get the heck up and take it back now," he said to applause from a crowd of a few dozen supporters at the Muscatine Riverview Center.
"He's really the down-to-earth guy I expected," Biden supporter Ismael Lopez said. "I never met him before, but I like what I see."
Lopez and several other supporters at the event said they were committed to caucusing for Biden on Monday, but a few others remained holdouts.
"I admire him and I respect him but I think my heart and my vote are with Mayor Pete," said Sharon Kapteina, who nevertheless waited in line after the event for a selfie with Biden.
Another voter, Bill McCracken, said the event inspired him to support the former Vice President.
"I thought it was awesome," he said. "I mean I’ve seen him on TV, heard him on TV but to be here in person and just listen to the passion that he has, Biden is the one who can bring us back to where we need to be as a country," he said.