Joe Biden plays 'Despacito' at Florida campaign, video triggers debate on social media

The US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden caught the attention of many as he played ‘Despacito’ on his phone in a bid to connect to Hispanic voters. Biden, who is struggling to win over Latino voters, made his first campaign appearance in Florida, at the opening of Hispanic Heritage Month. As he took the stage, the Democratic leader pulled out his phone and played the Spanish-language pop song after which the video took social media by storm. 

At a campaign event in Kissimmee, Biden was introduced by the famous American-Puerto Rico singer Luis Fonsi after which the former US vice president played the 2017s most popular single from the podium. “I just have one thing to say,” Biden said while looking down on his phone. “I’ll tell you what - If I had the talent of any of these people, I’d be elected president by acclamation,” he added after playing the song for a few seconds. 

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Biden receives mixed reactions 

The moment quickly went viral on the internet. From memes to criticism, #Despacito soon started trending on Twitter. While critics accused Biden of pandering to Latino voters, supporters fired back that the critics were not putting the moment in context. Some even lamented that people were no focused on more substantive issues. 

US President Donald Trump also going the fray, however, he shared a video what Twitter dubbed as a ‘manipulated media’. The video which Trump shared had NWA’s notorious 1988 single ‘F**** that Police’ playing in the background instead of ‘Despacito’. While retweeting the clip, Trump wrote: “What is this all about”. 

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Meanwhile, one internet user wrote, “People are making fun of Biden for playing Despacito, but he was introduced by Luis Fonsi, who wrote the song. It’s kind of a corny dad move, but that’s part of Biden’s brand and appeal”. Another added, “Context: Luis Fonsi (the guy who wrote Despacito) introduced Biden before this happened”. “What a slap in the face to Hispanic people that Joe Biden thinks all he has to do is play 10 seconds of Despacito to win over their vote. JUST FYI: That's what Democrats think of you... idiots that would vote for someone based on them playing an outdated song,” wrote third. 

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