Biden urges voters to reject Trump, warning democracy at risk

Bloomberg

President Joe Biden accused Donald Trump and Republicans who back him of endangering US democracy and urged Americans to reject any candidate backed by his predecessor in the November midterm election.
“Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic,” Biden said Thursday in a prime-time speech from Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, the site of the signing of the US Constitution.
“MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution, they do not believe in the rule of law, they do not recognize the will of the people,” he said referencing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. “They’re working right now as I speak in state after state to give power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies.”
The fiery speech, which the White House had billed as crystallizing the “battle for the soul of the nation,” highlighted the president’s shift to campaign mode two months out from the midterms that will determine whether Democrats can retain their slim House and Senate majorities.
The president has escalated attacks on congressional Republicans and supporters of Trump in recent days, accusing them of seeking to undermine the country’s democratic institutions, sow doubts about the election process, and push policies at odds with American voters.
“MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards, backwards to an America where there’s no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love,” said Biden. “They promote authoritarian leaders and they fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country.”
The president repeatedly has hammered GOP efforts to heavily restrict abortion access after the Supreme Court in June overturned the Roe v. Wade decision. He’s assailed GOP leaders’ opposition to banning assault weapons — as well as the lack of a single Republican vote in Congress for Democrats’ health care, tax and climate package.
Biden also peppered Thursday’s speech with references to his accomplishments, such as a sprawling Covid aid package passed early in his term— and repeatedly chastised Republicans for stoking fear and anger among voters.
He condemned “talk about violence as an acceptable political tool,” adding, “I want to say this plain and simple, there is no place for political violence in America.”
The speech largely skirted the specifics of recent campaign events, and instead called on Americans to stay within the “guardrails” of the democratic system and reject efforts to impede or overturn election results.
But the speech also highlighted the opposition to Biden. Even as the president spoke, occasional chants from nearby protesters rang out, including “Let’s Go Brandon,” an insult used by his opponents that plays on the president’s name combined with an expletive.
At one point, Biden stopped and said dissenters had a right to make their views heard, drawing applause. “Good manners is nothing they’ve ever suffered from,” he added.
Biden’s speech, which was built up by the White House, was carried live on CNN and MSNBC but not on any of the three broadcast networks. On Fox News, footage of the speech played silently in the background as Tucker Carlson offered commentary.