Progressive commentator Emma Vigeland argued that former Vice President Joe Biden
Joe BidenButtigieg maintains slim lead after second round of Iowa results released Trump touts achievements on eve of impeachment verdict Trump bashes 'Medicare for All' in swipe at Sanders MORE's campaign rests solely on the "illusion" that he is the Democrat best positioned to beat President Trump
Donald John TrumpDemocrats tear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' READ: Speaker Pelosi's response to Trump's State of the Union address Pelosi hammers Trump's speech: 'A manifesto of mistruths' MORE.
“The only way to get him off the top of the national perch of polling is to shake the illusion that he is the best candidate to defeat Trump. That is what his entire campaign is resting on,” Vigeland, a correspondent for The Young Turks, told Hill.TV during an interview that aired Friday.
She also argued that Biden is behaving in a "Trumpian way going after activists, people that are challenging him — regular folks at his events."
During a back-and-forth at a campaign event this month in Iowa, Biden called an audience member a "damn liar" after the man referenced debunked claims about Hunter Biden's work in Ukraine.
"It’s actually kind of disturbing to me because it shows that he has nothing but contempt, for not just the left but people that want to challenge him," Vigeland said. "He doesn’t feel he needs to win their votes over."
Biden has fallen behind in early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, but he has maintained his lead over the crowded Democratic primary field on a national level.
Less than a week after the December debate, a Morning Consult poll showed Biden holding onto the top spot with 31 percent support, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders
Bernie SandersButtigieg maintains slim lead after second round of Iowa results released Sanders hits Trump, predicts he delivered his 'last' State of the Union address Schumer: Trump address 'demagogic, undignified, highly partisan' MORE (I-Vt.) with 21 percent support. Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann WarrenButtigieg maintains slim lead after second round of Iowa results released Pressley says 'the cruelty is the point' for Trump in response to speech Schumer: Trump address 'demagogic, undignified, highly partisan' MORE (D-Mass.) was third with 15 percent. No other candidate registered in double digits.
The RealClearPolitics average of national polls showed slightly different results. Biden, at 28 percent, holds a 9-point lead over Sanders. Warren was third at 15 percent.
—Tess Bonn
