Trump says he isn't bothered by North Korea's recent missile tests
President Trump downplays threat from Kim Jong Un; reaction and analysis from the 'Special Report' all-star panel.
President Trump late Monday criticized former Vice President Joe Biden, the front-runner among Democrats seeking to unseat Trump in 2020, for his support of a controversial 1994 crime bill, saying he hasn't "apologized" for supporting it.
Trump tweeted that his own criminal justice reform legislation - The First Step Act - "had tremendous support" and "fixed" problems in the law Biden championed.
Biden, who in the late 1980s became chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee as Delaware senator, said at the time his aim was to pass legislation that would combat violent crime.
The 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, signed by then-President Bill Clinton, was seen by many analysts as the culmination of efforts of those like Biden.
BIDEN TOPS TRUMP BY DOUBLE DIGITS IN NEW PENNSYLVANIA POLL
However, in the decades that followed, critics blamed the law for an increase in prison populations among other developments.
A 2015 headline in the New York Times, published in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election, claimed that Biden's "role in '90s crime law could haunt any presidential bid."
In his tweet Monday, Trump claimed African-Americans "will not be able to vote" for Biden because of his support for the crime bill.
"I, on the other hand, was responsible for criminal justice reform, which had tremendous support, [and] helped fix the bad 1994 bill," Trump continued.
Trump claimed "anyone associated" with the bill "will not have a chance of being elected."
He revisited his recent nickname for the former vice president, labeling him "Sleepy Joe Biden" in the tweet.
"That was a dark period in American history," Trump wrote. "But has Sleepy Joe apologized? No."
In 2016, Hillary Clinton, then a presidential candidate, apologized for some of the law's "unintended" consequences but stood by what she called the "positive aspects," like its efforts to prevent violence against women. Clinton was first lady at the time of the crime bill's passage.
Biden did not immediately respond to Trump or his tweets.
More from Politics
Fox News Politics
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.