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© REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Former Vice President Joe Biden told supporters during a virtual town hall on Thursday he estimated 10 to 15% of Americans were "not very good people" but said the majority were "decent" people whom the president should work towards uniting.

Biden's remarks, made during an event moderated by actor Don Cheadle, drew comparisons to comments by 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton about half of Trump's supporters being in a "basket of deplorables," or 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney's remarks about 47% of Americans being dependent on the federal government and not paying income tax.

Ryan Wilson, the CEO of the Gathering Spot in Atlanta, Georgia, had asked Biden how he was going to lead differently and what he would do for black Americans, "if it's true that you can't truly lead people if you don't love people."

"I love people," Biden replied. He accused President Donald Trump of dividing the country with his words and said that when a leader does that "you're going to get the worst of us to come out,".

"It's about the attitude of the country - is this really as good as we think we can be as a nation?" Biden said. "I don't think the vast majority of people think that. There are probably anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the people out there that are just not very good people, but that's not who we are."

"The vast majority of the people are decent, and we have to appeal to that and we have to unite people - bring them together," Biden added.