American singer and R&B artist John Legend criticised 2020 presidential hopeful Joe Biden on Twitter on Saturday, accusing him of trying to garner favour among media instead of voters.
Legend followed up with another tweet questioning Biden’s ability to win over the “elusive factory owner” to the Democratic side in Pittsburgh or Youngstown.
The references to Pittsburgh and Youngstown are representations of traditional working class areas which the Democratic Party lost to Trump in 2016.
The singer's online comments were in response to a confirmation by Biden that he would reinstate Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in an interview with Iowa Starting Line on Friday.
“Sure, I would,” Biden said, talking to Iowa Starting Line, describing Garland as “a first-rate person.”
The former vice president went on to say that the political “reality” during the Obama administration did not allow for the nomination of Garland and that they should have been “a heck of a lot harder on McConnell.”
The suggestion saw an intense reaction on Twitter.
Some users accused Biden of capitulating before he even became president.
Others criticised the media for not attacking Biden's policies.
Garland is considered a centrist, an increasingly less palatable position given an increasingly progressive Democratic voter base.