U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, who are highly likely to face a rematch in the U.S. presidential election in November, marked the third anniversary of the January 6 storming of the Capitol on the first weekend of the new year, side by side accusing each other of being a “threat to democracy” and calling for a “presidential election.” Announced the launch of the ‘Year of the Year’. President Biden, who has recently been struggling with stagnant approval ratings, is strengthening his strategy of ‘attacking Trump’, and former President Trump also continues to be negative, so the muddy race appears to be in full swing.
President Biden is breaking away from promoting the achievements of his economic policy, ‘Bidenomics’, and is turning this election into a ‘democracy versus dictatorship’ frame. In his first speech of the new year held in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on the 5th, he emphasized, “Protecting American democracy is the core cause of my term.” Valley Forge is where the troops of George Washington, who served as the first president, were stationed during the Revolutionary War, and is one of the places that symbolize American democracy.
In the 31-minute speech, ‘Trump’ appeared 44 times. President Biden criticized former President Trump, saying, “Former President Trump ran in the election only for himself, not for the United States,” and added, “He is trying to gain power at the expense of our democracy.”
President Biden described January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in defiance of the 2020 presidential election, as “the day we almost lost America.” He also contrasted himself and Trump as ‘defenders’ and ‘destroyers’ of democracy, citing former President Trump’s remark that “I want to be a dictator on the first day of his term” when he returns to power.
The New York Times (NYT) analyzed that it was an attempt to rally anti-Trump voters, saying, “President Biden’s public criticism of former President Trump was at the highest level.” However, there is skepticism even within the ruling Democratic Party as to whether this strategy will be able to raise the stagnant approval rating.
The Washington Post (WP) reported on this day that former President Obama discussed the overall campaign strategy and expressed concerns at several recent private lunches with President Biden. Former President Obama reportedly advised from the beginning of his campaign that he should move quickly and aggressively.
View largerFormer U.S. President Donald Trump (right) is handing a hat he signed to a supporter after giving a speech at Des Moines Community College in Newton, Iowa, on the 6th. Iowa = AP NewsisFormer President Trump also immediately launched a ‘counter-campaign’. He criticized President Biden’s speech the previous day at a campaign rally in Newton, Iowa, calling it “pathetic fear-mongering.” In an interview with Fox News Digital, he also claimed, “The real threat to democracy is Biden.”
In his speech, he blamed President Biden for the war in Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, and high inflation, and said, “He is the most corrupt, incompetent, and worst president in American history.” He also claimed that he had been prosecuted more times than legendary mob boss Al Capone during his time in the 1920s. Former President Trump has been indicted four times to date, but Capone has been indicted at least six times, according to CNN, and was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. He said it was a false claim. Former President Trump also mocked President Biden for stuttering, calling him “a real threat to America, the United States, and democracy.”
Former President Trump submitted his candidate registration documents to the State Board of Elections on the 4th ahead of the Illinois primary scheduled for March 19th and pledged his loyalty to the state, saying, “I will not advocate attempts to overthrow the federal or state governments.” It is known that he did not sign the ‘loyalty oath’.
This pledge, created in the 1950s when McCarthyism was sweeping the country, was not mandatory, but continued as a custom for nearly 70 years. Former President Trump submitted signatures during the 2016 and 2020 presidential primaries. In response to this, President Biden’s presidential campaign criticized Trump, saying, “Trump does not dare to sign a document promising to protect the U.S. Constitution without launching a coup.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.