MADISON — Former Vice President Joseph Biden was critical of President Donald Trump without mentioning him by name in a speech at Drew University on Wednesday night.

Earlier in the day Biden said he regretted his comments in a podcast that he would "beat the hell" out of President Donald Trump if they were in high school for how he treats women. At Drew the former and potentially future presidential candidate told the sold out Drew crowd he also wished he had been critical of the president earlier, according to NorthJersey.com.

He talked about "the rise of half-baked nationalism and this phony populism," he said is embraced by a minority of people. "But it sends a terrible message around the world about who we are, and emboldens the seamier side of our society to rise and raise its ugly head," Biden said to the crowd which included former Gov. Tom Kean, according to an NJ.com photo.

According to NorthJersey.com Biden said that he and former President Barack Obama had agreed to not criticize Trump for a year. But after the Charlottesville rally last year that left one person dead he had to speak up after comments from "our most important voice allegedly."

Trump at the time said there was "blame on both sides" and criticized "alt left" groups for violence at the rally.

For now however, the 75-year-old will stay on the political sidelines, according to NorthJersey.com. Biden told the crowd he and his family were still in mourning over the 2015 death of his son Beau, and at the moment he is not going to run, according to the report.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report

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