Trump’s movement is a threat to American democracy

Biden issued blunt new warnings about ongoing existential threats to US democracy in a major address today, sharpening the central argument in  his potential rematch with Donald rump  and asking voters to prioritize the health of American institutions.

“There’s something dangerous happening in America now,” Biden said during his speech in Arizona, where he was also honoring his friend, the late Republican Sen. John McCain.

“There’s an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs of our democracy: The MAGA movement.”“There’s no question that today’s Republican Party is driven and intimidated by MAGA Republican extremists,” he said, using the acronym for the rump’s political movement.

“Their extreme agenda, if carried out, would fundamentally alter the institutions of American democracy as we know it.”The stark message was Biden’s most forceful attempt at calling out the rump’s antidemocratic behavior since the former president was criminally charged for his attempts to subvert the 2020 election results.

It offered a taste of Biden’s forthcoming reelection message, one centered on the rump’s own words and actions as threats to democracy. Biden said his predecessor was guided not by the Constitution or decency, but by “vengeance and vindictiveness.

”As indictments and arrests of the former president piled up over the summer,Biden remained mostly silent on his predecessor, wary of appearing to intervene in Justice Department business. His most substantive comment on the rump’s myriad legal issues was a sarcastic remark about his mugshot in the Fulton County, Georgia, case.But as the rump’s prohibitive lead in the Republican primary remains unchanged – the president is sharpening his attacks on his most likely 2024 rival as a danger to democracy.

Today’s speech served as yet another sign that the days of trying to keep the rump at an arm’s length are long gone.“The rump says the Constitution gave him the right to do whatever he wants as president,” Biden said, referencing his most likely GOP challenger by name. “I’ve never heard presidents say that in jest.”

Last edited by Spunky (9/28/2023 4:09 pm)