Biden claims '10 to 15 percent' of Americans are 'just not very good people'

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Joe Biden tops Trump in polls amid criticism over record

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's record on racial issues is complicated; Peter Doocy reports.

Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed Thursday that "10 to 15 percent" of Americans are "just not very good people."

As first reported by The New York Times, Biden held a virtual town hall on Thursday evening with black supporters where he knocked President Trump's divisiveness and weak leadership.

“The words a president says matter, so when a president stands up and divides people all the time, you’re gonna the worst of us to come out,” Biden told actor Don Cheadle, who was moderating the virtual town hall.

“Do we really think this is as good as we can be as a nation? I don’t think the vast majority of people think that," Biden continued. "There are probably anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the people out there who are just not very good people, but that’s not who we are. The vast majority of the people are decent. We have to appeal to that and we have to unite people -- bring them together. Bring them together.”

It is unclear who exactly he was referring to within the "10 to 15 percent" of people and whether or not he believes they support President Trump.

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The remarks harken back to the controversial comments made by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election when, at a campaign event, she estimated that "half" of Trump's supporters belong in a "basket of deplorables."

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While Biden received praise earlier this week for his address following the May 25 death of Minneapolis man George Floyd while in police custody, the presumptive Democratic nominee previously landed himself in hot water during a recent interview on "The Breakfast Club." During the show, he told radio host Charlamagne tha God "you ain't black" if any black voter is still undecided between supporting him or President Trump. He later walked those comments back, saying he shouldn't have sounded so "cavalier" and acted like a "wise guy."

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However, in multiple interviews since then, Biden appeared to cast blame for the remarks on Charlamagne tha God, insisting the host was also acting like a "wise guy" and later claimed he was "baiting" him, which prompted the offensive remark.

Charlamagne tha God shot back Wednesday night, telling Stephen Colbert "I didn't bait" Biden and that he "volunteered that fish" on his own.