In September 2019, the low-polling former Vice President Joe Biden was in the fight of his life to win the Democratic Primary election.

During a campaign visit that was almost literally in his backyard, Joe told what can only be described as a bizarre account of a childhood encounter, as he stood in front of a crowd of mostly black youths at a community pool where he worked as a lifeguard. Biden told the crowd of supporters a story of a razor-wielding gang-member named “Corn Pop,” who tried to mess with Joe in the parking lot. Joe, being the tough guy that he is, wasn’t about to let Corn Pop push him around, so he brought a chain to the impending knife fight. With chain in hand, Joe confronted Corn Pop and apologized for calling him a woman’s name. The threatening gang member was so impressed that he closed his straight knife and walked away. It was at that moment, that Joe knew a tough guy was born.

Watch:

https://twitter.com/EddieZipperer/status/1173196985085677569?s=20

Today, when Joe Biden was asked about his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he seemed to be channeling his inner Corn Pop and explained to the media in his best tough-guy voice how he drew a line in the sand with the former KGB leader.

Daily Mail reports – President Joe Biden said he warned Vladimir Putin Wednesday that Russian cyberattacks on ‘critical’ U.S. infrastructure would draw a serious American response – and told his counterpart just how harmful a cyber attack might be on an oil pipeline that is the lifeline of the Russian economy.

Biden threatened retaliation and made his explicit comment publicly even as he denied making any kind of a ‘threat’ in his meetings with the Russian President as they discussed ransomware attacks that shut down the Colonial pipeline and have other U.S. and multinational businesses on edge.

Biden said he had ‘told President Putin we need some basic rules of the road that we can all abide by’, adding that ‘I did what I came to do.’

He said he gave the Russian president a list of 16 specific entities that should ‘be off-limits to attack, period, by cyber or any other means,’ He didn’t name the items on the list but described them as ‘critical infrastructure.’

‘I talked about the proposition that certain critical infrastructure should be off-limits to attack, period’ Biden said, ‘by cyber or any other means. I gave them a list.’

‘I gave them a list. …16 specific entities defined as critical infrastructure under U.S. policy, from the energy sector to our water system.’

‘Principle is one thing: it has to be backed up by practice,’ he said. ‘Responsible countries need to take action against criminals who conduct ransomware activity in their territory.’ The U.S. asses ransomware hackers are based in Russia and essentially enjoy safe harbor from the government there.

Biden didn’t respond to shouted questions about what his posture means for companies and industries that aren’t on the red-line list.

‘He knows I will take action,’ Biden said. ‘I pointed out to him that we have significant cyber capability. He doesn’t know exactly what it is, but it’s significant.’

Joe channeled his inner Corn Pop again when a female CNN reporter asked him a question about his meeting with Putin.

His suggestion of the consequences Russia would face came during a contentious press conference where he also shouted at a CNN reporter who yelled out a question asking why he was so confident the Russian strongman would change his behavior, given his denials and his history.

‘I’m not confident I’ll change his behavior. What do you do all the time?’ he sneered.

Putin’s probably still shaking in his boots.

 

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