Biden launches fiery defense of US democracy against ‘MAGA forces’
Washington, Sep 1 (EFE).- United States President Joe Biden on Thursday launched a fiery defense of democracy against Donald Trump’s “MAGA forces” in a prime-time speech two months out from midterm elections.
“For a long time we told ourselves that American democracy is guaranteed. But it’s not. We have to defend it. Protect it. Stand up for it. Each and every one of us,” Biden said from the city of Philadelphia.
The Democratic leader warned that Trump and supporters of his MAGA (Make America Great Again) agenda do not respect the constitution, believe in the rule of law or recognize the will of the people, as they reject the results of the 2020 election that Biden won.
“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic,” he said.
Biden was speaking at Independence Hall, a building considered the cradle of US democracy for being the place where both the Declaration of Independence and the constitution were signed.
“Tonight, I’ve come to this place where it all began, to speak as plainly as I can to the nation about the threats we face, about the power we have in our hands to meet these threats and about the incredible future that lies in front of us if only we choose it,” the president said.
Although he differentiated between Trump die-hards and other conservatives, saying that “not every Republican embraces that extreme ideology,” he added that “there’s no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans and that is a threat to this country.”
“Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal,” he said. “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
He also warned that “MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards,” to where there is “no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love.”
In addition, he accused them of fanning “the flames of political violence,” alluding to the assault on the Capitol in 2021 when a mob of Trump supporters tried to stop the ratification of Biden’s victory, and also to threats against the FBI for the search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion which turned up classified documents.
“We can’t allow violence to be normalized,” Biden said.
“There are far more Americans, from every background and belief, who reject the extreme MAGA ideology, than those that accept it,” Biden said, urging citizens to “come together, unite behind the single purpose of defending our democracy regardless of your ideology.”
Last week, Biden began his campaign for the November midterm elections with a speech in Maryland and, on Tuesday, he held another fiery rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
With these and other speeches, he has portrayed the November midterms as a referendum between those who defend democracy and those who supported the assault on the Capitol.
Before his speech, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy demanded Biden apologize for comparing MAGA Republican to “semi-fascism” last week. EFE
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