Democracy, political violence and disputed elections: Five takeaways from Biden’s primetime speech
Joe Biden pulled zero punches on Thursday evening as he condemned Donald Trump and his grip over the Republican Party in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.
The president spoke on a warm summer evening as drama over an FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago continues to unfold and the stability of America’s rule of law seems more fragile than ever. Polling indicates that the feeling of uncertainty about the future is widespread: as many as four in 10 Americans say civil war is possible in the coming years, a shocking number.
The address on Thursday echoed many of the same warnings Mr Biden made earlier this year on the twelve-month anniversary of the Jan 6 attack on Congress, a major but not the first sign of America’s worsening political fractures. Violence between the right and the left has been escalating for years, and was evident as early as 2017 when far-right rally attendees including white nationalists attacked counter-protesters in Charlottesville, killing one person.
There were many unique points in Mr Biden’s speech on Thursday as the president made his most aggressive case yet that Donald Trump and his allies’ continued efforts to sow distrust in America’s election systems represents a clear threat to the future of US democracy.
Here are a few notable points to think about after the president’s address to the nation:
Joe Biden makes clear he’s ready to take Donald Trump and Trumpism on directly
The president didn’t hold back tonight. In previous remarks about the threat posed by Americans losing faith in their government, he has refused to directly name Donald Trump as the lead purveyor of that atmosphere of distrust and often crows about so-called “reasonable” Republicans with whom he can work in Washington.
On Thursday, however, he made clear what the problem is: Donald Trump, and the efforts by him and his allies to contest every single election they lose. These remarks were quite timely, as a number of GOP candidates for office including some endorsed by Mr Trump have refused to concede in the wake of their primary season defeats.
“Democracy cannot survive when one side believes there are only two outcomes to an election: either they win or they were cheated,” Mr Biden stressed.
And he issued his most withering condemnation of Donald Trump yet, going far beyond any rhetoric he used during the 2020 campaign season or in the immediate aftermath of January 6.
“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” he said. “MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognise the will of the people.”
There was a clear message here to both Joe Biden’s Democratic allies and Republican foes. To Republicans, his warning was clear: their efforts to subvert rightful election results won’t be tolerated under his administration, and he’s willing to make the defence of American democracy an election issue.
To Democrats, the message was the same: Joe Biden is not only willing to make this an election issue, but he’s capable of doing so as well. There was no doubt that part of the purpose of Thursday’s speech was an audition for what most political observers expect will be a rematch with Donald Trump in 2024. And before today, it’s clear that Mr Biden has faced scepticism within his own party regarding his ability to run again (and win).
Republicans in Congress, watch out
While Donald Trump was the only “MAGA Republican” called out by name on Thursday, there was another clear reference to a nationally-notable GOP figure in Mr Biden’s address.
He spoke about the aftermath of the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence — and the GOP response to that action.
“Can you believe it? FBI agents, just doing their job as directed, facing threats to their own lives from their own fellow citizens. On top of that, there are public figures today, yesterday and the day before predicting and all but calling for mass violence and rioting in the streets. This is inflammatory. It’s dangerous.”
“It’s against the rule of law,” Mr Biden continued. “And we the people must say, ‘this is not who we are’.”
The line, which drew applause, was about as direct a challenge to South Carolina Sen Lindsey Graham as Mr Biden could make without naming him specifically. Mr Graham’s prediction days ago that there would be “riots in the streets” should Mr Trump face a criminal indictment was heavily criticised by former DoJ officials and political experts, who took it as a veiled threat.
