Joe Biden, in a rare direct attack on his Republican predecessor, on Thursday denounced the “extremism” of Donald Trump and his supporters, accusing them of shaking the “foundations” of American democracy in its cradle city.
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Speaking in Philadelphia (East), he said, “Donald Trump and the ‘MAGA Republicans’ represent extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic.”
The former president and those who subscribe to his ‘Make America Great Again’ ideology “have no respect for the Constitution. They have no faith in the rule of law. They don’t recognize the will of the people,” hammered the Democratic president in a rare speech in “prime time.”
Behind him, all lit up against the night sky, is “Independence Hall,” a red brick building where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were adopted.
The Democrat, who held his first presidential caucus in Philadelphia, also knows his home state of Pennsylvania could hold the key to the November legislative election. So his mandate remains.
Representatives of the extreme right “appreciate the anger. They feed on chaos. They don’t live in the light of truth, they live in the shadow of lies,” chanted the 79-year-old president, who wants to galvanize Democratic voters and convince the undecided.
Joe Biden had already sung the refrain of the “war” to be fought for “America’s soul” during his campaign.
Once elected, this veteran politician bet that the “war” would be fought through dialogue with elected conservatives of good faith and through reforms to support the middle class.
But the great air of harmony is muted.
Each favorable poll encourages the release of Joe Biden, who recently accused Donald Trump’s supporters of espousing an ideology of “quasi-fascism.”
The term has outraged the conservative camp, which accuses the president of fueling divisions.
Kevin McCarthy, the Republican-elect vying for the prestigious leadership of the House of Representatives, accused Joe Biden on Thursday of “demonizing” “tens of thousands of hard-working, law-abiding Americans.”
If the midterm congressional elections were held today, 47% of voters would vote Democratic and 44% would vote Republican, according to a Wall Street Journal poll published Thursday. In March, the right wing was still leading by 5 points.
Democrats are beginning to dream of a feat during this election, renewing the entire House of Representatives and a third, traditionally unfavorable to the party representing the White House.
Polls don’t fail, and in American political life, two months is an eternity. But the political debate has changed since the beginning of the summer.
Inflation eased, Joe Biden passed a series of reforms, and announced the death of Al-Qaeda’s leader. It blunted two angles of Republican attack: the preservation of purchasing power and the competence of the oldest president ever elected in the United States.
Democrats, led by Joe Biden, want to move the debate on abortion rights and the achievements of society and protecting democracy.
Donald Trump, who said Thursday he wants to pardon all those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is in his sights if he is ever re-elected to the White House.
Democrats, who have a hard time retaining the House of Representatives, hope to retain their majority in the Senate.
That means winning Pennsylvania. Joe Biden already went there on Tuesday and will return there on Monday. Donald Trump will be there on Saturday.
