President Biden portrayed Republicans on the ballot this fall as a threat to democracy itself as he sharpened his midterm rallying cry at a campaign event in Maryland Thursday evening.
Invoking former President Trump and his “Make America Great Again” slogan, Biden accused Republicans of seeking to take the country “backward” and warned voters that democracy is under threat from Trump and his allies.
“Now you need to vote to literally save democracy again,” Biden told a large crowd at the Democratic National Committee rally in Rockville, Md., just outside of Washington, D.C. “Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans have made their choice — to go backwards full of anger, violence, hate, and division. But we’ve chosen a different path forward, the future, unity, hope and optimism.”
“We choose to build a better America,” Biden said.
The event represented Biden’s largest campaign event this year and took place just more than two months until the midterm elections. Thousands of people were packed into a gymnasium and overflow space at Richard Montgomery High School, where the rally took place.
Biden spent part of his speech touting his administration’s accomplishments, including the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations and the job growth the country has seen under his watch. He cheered the decline in gasoline prices over the last several weeks, a sign of surging inflation potentially easing.
The president also discussed recent legislative victories, including a bipartisan law that will sink billions into the domestic semiconductor industry and the sweeping climate and healthcare bill known as the Inflation Reduction Act that Democrats finally got across the finish line earlier this month.
But he spent ample time attacking Republicans, warning that a GOP majority in Congress could move to enact a nationwide abortion ban and assailing Republicans for voting against the climate and health law.
He portrayed Social Security as under threat from Republicans, pointing to a plan offered by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) that proposed a sunset on all federal legislation after five years. Elements of the plan, which has run into criticism within the GOP, were displayed prominently on screens at the rally.
Biden returned to the warning about democracy repeatedly, alluding to Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election and the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Many Republican candidates who Trump has endorsed this election cycle deny the results of the 2020 election.
Biden made a point to distinguish between what he called “conservative Republicans” and “MAGA Republicans,” citing Maryland’s current Gov. Larry Hogan (R), as an example of the former.
“The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security. They’re a threat to our very democracy,” Biden said as he wrapped up his remarks. “They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace, embrace political violence. They don’t believe in democracy.”
“This is why in this moment, those of you that love this country — Democrats, independents, mainstream Republicans — we must be stronger, more determined, and more committed to saving America than the MAGA Republicans are destroying America,” he said.
Hours earlier at a fundraiser in Bethesda, Biden also accused Trump and his allies in the party of espousing a philosophy akin to “semi-fascism.”
The comments represented perhaps the most forceful rebuke of Republicans to date from Biden, who ran in 2020 as a unifier and who has sought to work across the aisle during his presidency. They signal a sharper tone for Biden as he and other Democrats try to hold on to their narrow majorities in the House and Senate in November.
Biden appeared at Thursday’s event alongside Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore and other Democratic representatives from the state.
Biden has upcoming official trips planned to Pennsylvania and Ohio, both battleground states with critical races for Democrats, and the White House has signaled more plans for travel during the fall months.