(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden will argue that Donald Trump’s supporters pose a threat to US democracy and the country’s elections during his prime-time address Thursday, according to a senior White House official.
(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden will argue that Donald Trump’s supporters pose a threat to US democracy and the country’s elections during his prime-time address Thursday, according to a senior White House official.
The speech, which the White House has billed as an address on the “battle for the soul of the nation,” comes as the president in recent days has shifted to campaign mode two months out from the November midterms that will determine whether Democrats can retain their slim House and Senate majorities.
Biden has ramped up attacks on congressional Republicans and supporters of Trump, accusing them of seeking to undermine the country’s democratic institutions, sow doubts about the election process, and push policies at odds with American voters.
Biden is set to deliver the address from Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, home to the Liberty Bell and the site of the signing of the US Constitution.
The senior White House official downplayed the idea that the speech is targeted at Trump or Republicans, but said Biden would lay out what he sees as threats to the country’s democratic values and would condemn political violence.
In recent speeches, however, Biden has deployed a tough tone toward Republicans, describing them as still locked in Trump’s grip and labeling their views as “semi-fascism” and “ultra MAGA,” a reference to the former president’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
White House aides have characterized the address as an official event, rather than a political speech, despite the nature of Biden’s remarks. The official said Biden sees democracy as an issue that should unite both parties.
The president’s recent speeches have offered a preview of his midterm message: Biden’s seeking to present himself as a centrist alternative to Trump and Republican policies and pivot away from questions about the complicated state of the economy.
Biden has highlighted GOP efforts to heavily restrict abortion access after the Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, and party leaders’ opposition to banning assault weapons — as well as the lack of a single Republican vote in Congress for Democrats’ health care, tax and climate package.
Hitting Back
Republicans have hit back at Biden’s rhetoric. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy aims to counter the president’s message with a speech earlier in the evening from Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
McCarthy plans to talk about soaring inflation, crime and “other hardships brought on by the Democrats’ harmful policies,” according to his office. Trump will visit Pennsylvania this weekend for a rally alongside Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano, the GOP Senate and gubernatorial candidates.
Biden and congressional Democrats are coming off a series of legislative and policy wins; improved data on inflation; and polls showing the president’s standing with the public improving. He told reporters Friday he intends to be on the campaign trail “as much as” possible.
Biden spoke at a DNC fundraiser in suburban Maryland last week, and his speech Thursday is his second visit to battleground Pennsylvania this week. During a Tuesday trip to Wilkes-Barre, he called attacks on the FBI for its role in the search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence “sickening.”
Pennsylvania is holding a number of high-profile election contests, including the open Senate seat race that is pitting Oz against the state’s Democratic lieutenant governor, John Fetterman.
The Labor Day holiday will take Biden to more midterm battlegrounds, with a return visit to Pennsylvania, as well as a stop in Wisconsin. Biden is also headed to Ohio next week for the groundbreaking at an Intel Corp. plant in the state.
In his appearances, Biden has appeared buoyed and energized by his recent wins. A Gallup poll last week found that 44% of Americans now approve of him, up from a low of 38% in July. Still, Biden remains underwater, with 53% of Americans disapproving of his job performance.
(Corrects day of Biden visit to Wilkes-Barre in graph 13)
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