Biden warns Trump’s MAGA excessive Republicans as ‘hazard’ to US democracy

In a fiery prime-time speech, President Joe Biden launched a sweeping attack on former President Donald Trump and the “MAGA Republicans,” saying they pose “a clear and present threat” to American democracy.

“It is in our hands, yours and mine, to stop the assault on American democracy,” Biden said Thursday at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, urging Americans to reject fear and violence. “I think America is at a tipping point, one of those moments that will shape the shape of everything that comes after.”

Biden’s call for Americans to stand up for democracy against extremists is the same message he spread and won in the 2020 presidential election. The White House hopes it remains a winning strategy two months before the midterm elections that will decide who controls the House and Senate. The trip marks his second visit to the critical swing state in three days.

“For a long time we have assured ourselves that American democracy is guaranteed. But she’s not,” Biden said. “We have to defend them. Protection. stand up for it. Every single one of us. So tonight, I call on our nation to come together and unite behind the single purpose of defending our democracy, whatever your ideology.”

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on what he calls the “continued battle for the soul of the nation” outside Independence Hall at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on September 1, 2022.

Jonathan Ernest | Reuters

Democrats’ chances of retaining their majority in both houses have improved in recent weeks, despite mixed economic signals, as Republicans continue to take a backlash from the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling that passed Roe v. Wade was overturned and the investigation into Trump is ongoing. An NBC News poll released last week found that a majority of American voters, 58%, disapprove of Dobbs’ decision and almost the same proportion, 57%, believe the investigation into Trump should go ahead.

“MAGA Forces are determined to push this country back,” Biden said. “Backward to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love.”

Since Trump took office, Biden has said the country faces “a battle for the soul of the nation.” The importance of the threat to democracy is underscored by Biden’s choice of venue: Independence National Historic Park, where the Constitution was written. The same NBC News poll found that “threats to democracy” have replaced the cost of living as the most pressing issue on voters’ minds.

Biden has recently ramped up his criticism of Republicans, trying to position Democrats as an alternative to an extremist-led party. Last week he called Republicans “semi-fascist” for remaining loyal to the former president. His comments come amid Trump’s legal troubles following the FBI raid on his Mar-A-Lago home in Florida, where the former president has been accused of mishandling classified information.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on what he calls the “continued battle for the soul of the nation” outside Independence Hall at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on September 1, 2022.

Jonathan Ernest | Reuters