Biden shouldn’t be able to get away with this.
Former President Trump criticized President Biden’s recent speech in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, accusing him of engaging in “fearmongering” and characterizing it as a “pathetic campaign event.” Speaking to supporters in Sioux Center, Iowa, Trump asserted that Biden was attacking him on the democracy issue because he couldn’t run on other matters. He labeled Biden’s record as a series of weaknesses, incompetence, corruption, and failures.
Mocking Biden’s speech delivery, Trump mentioned issues like the border, inflation, the military, the Afghanistan withdrawal, and energy policies, asserting that the United States has become an embarrassment globally. Trump also cast doubt on the 2020 election results, suggesting that the approximately 75 million votes he received were inaccurately counted.
The former president, currently the leading contender for the GOP presidential nomination, held the first of several scheduled events in Iowa ahead of the Jan. 15 caucuses. He aims to secure a dominant victory and thwart any potential momentum for other contenders like Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis.
On the other hand, President Biden’s first campaign event of 2024 took place in Valley Forge, emphasizing the significance of democracy in the upcoming election. Biden spoke extensively about the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021, linking Trump’s rhetoric to the violence and warning that the former president posed a threat to the foundations of American democracy.
Biden raised questions about whether democracy remains America’s sacred cause and framed it as the most urgent question of our time. Recent polls indicate a close matchup between Trump and Biden, with Trump leading at 44 percent to Biden’s 43 percent. Biden’s campaign is focusing on portraying Trump’s alleged threat to democracy as a central issue heading into the November election.
In recent weeks, polling has shown that more voters trust Trump over Biden on the economy, immigration, and the Israel-Hamas war. Despite Biden’s low approval ratings, his campaign seeks to rally supporters against what they perceive as Trump’s threat to democracy. The campaign has highlighted Trump’s statements and actions, portraying them as efforts to erode American democracy and promote political violence. A 60-second ad has been released, set to run in key swing states, emphasizing Trump’s alleged impact on American democracy.