Biden asks Republicans to shun 'MAGA' in November, vote Democrat
Reuters
Published Aug 25, 2022 06:08AM ET
Updated Aug 26, 2022 04:47AM ET
By Steve Holland
ROCKVILLE, Md. (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden had harsh words to describe Trump-allied Republicans on Thursday, as he held his first political rally in the run-up to November elections, accusing the group of embracing violence and hatred, and saying they edged toward "semi-fascism" at an earlier fund-raising stop.
Biden, kicking off a coast-to-coast tour, is looking to lend his support to Democratic candidates and prevent those Republicans from taking control of Congress by touting the sharp differences between the two major U.S. parties, and calling on independent and Republican voters for help.
“It’s not hyperbole now you need to vote to literally save democracy again,” Biden told an above-capacity crowd of several thousand at a Democratic National Committee event at Richard Montgomery High School in a Maryland suburb of Washington.
"America must choose. You must choose. Whether our country will move forward or backward,” he said.
“Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans have made their choice – to go backwards full of anger, violence, hate and division,” he said, warning they "refuse to accept the will of the people."
Since the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, some Donald Trump supporters have repeated his lie that the 2020 election was stolen and threatened election workers.
In Maryland's Montgomery County, where more than 78% of voters chose Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2020, Biden the stage to ask "Democrats, independents and mainstream Republicans" to join together to commit to the future.
Before the rally, Biden met Democratic donors for a $1 million party fundraiser in a backyard in a leafy neighborhood north of Washington.
Strolling with a handheld mic, Biden detailed the tumult facing the United States and the world from climate change. He spoke about economic upheaval and the future of China and was strongly critical of the direction of the Republican Party.
"We're seeing now either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA agenda," Biden said, referring to former President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. "It's not just Trump. ... It's almost semi-fascism," he said.
BIDEN AGENDA ON THE LINE
Republicans are hoping to ride voter discontent with inflation, questions about Biden's policies and cultural resentment from its majority-white base to victory in November, and they have history on their side. The party that controls the White House usually loses seats in Congress in a new president's first midterm elections, and political analysts predict Republicans have a solid chance of taking control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate.
Democrats hold only a thin majority in the House, while the Senate is evenly divided, with the vice president's tie-breaking power giving Democrats control.
Get The News You Want
Republican control of one or both chambers could thwart Biden's legislative agenda for the second half of his four-year term. Heavy losses could also intensify questions about whether Biden should run for re-election in 2024 or hand over to a younger generation.
But Biden and his team are increasingly hopeful that a string of recent legislative successes, and voters' outrage at the Supreme Court's overturning of the 1973 ruling that recognized women's constitutional right to abortion, will generate strong turnout among Democrats.
The announcement this week that Biden would use an executive order to alleviate student loan debt led to GOP legislators and activists to criticize it as a handout. But on Thursday, the White House noted on Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) that each had benefited from much larger debt cancellations under the coronavirus pandemic “PPP” loan program.
The rally in Maryland was promoted by groups including women's health provider Planned Parenthood and anti-gun violence activists Moms Demand, as Democrats lean on a new gun safety law and Republican-backed abortion bans to improve their midterm prospects.
Democrats want Biden's trip to boost the president's poor poll numbers and draw attention to his achievements. But some candidates for Congress worry that campaigning with Biden will hurt them in the Nov. 8 election.
Biden, whose latest approval rating is 41%, is polling lower than most, if not all, Democratic candidates in competitive races, often by double digits, Democratic pollsters said.
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.