President Joe Biden delivered his first major campaign speech on January 5, 2024, in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, just before the three-year anniversary of the deadly Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Biden used the historic location of his speech near Valley Forge to draw a sharp contrast with GOP frontrunner Trump ahead of a potentially historic election. Biden presented the 2024 election in stark terms and placed the onus of the Capitol riot on “lies” spread by former President Trump.
Biden’s Speech
Biden’s speech was an impassioned argument that Trump could destroy American democracy as he opens the 2024 campaign. He said that the value Americans place on democracy is the “most urgent question of our time.” Biden sought to use the backdrop of Valley Forge, where George Washington staged his troops during the Revolutionary War, to amplify his call to supporters to oppose “MAGA extremism.” Biden said that Trump is running in 2024 as the “election denier in chief.” “You can’t love your country only when you win,” he added.
Biden criticized Trump for his role in the Capitol riot, saying that Trump’s “lies brought a mob” to D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. Biden said that Trump is now promising a full-scale campaign of revenge and retribution for some years to come. Biden warned that Trump is the “true threat to democracy” and that he is destroying the country like no one else has done before. Biden said that Trump intends to seek retribution against his political opponents if he again becomes president.
Biden’s Campaign
Biden’s campaign is about America, about every age and background that occupy this country, and about the future they are going to continue to build together. Biden’s campaign is about preserving and strengthening American democracy. Biden said that the fate of American democracy depends on the 2024 election because the threat to American democracy is not abstract and directly affects the lives of Americans. Biden said that all Americans are being asked right now: “What will we do to maintain our democracy?”.
Biden’s campaign officials said before the speech that the backdrop of Valley Forge will help amplify his call to supporters to oppose “MAGA extremism.” Biden campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez said in a call with reporters that “we are running a campaign like the fate of our democracy depends on it. Because it does”.
Trump’s Response
Trump responded to Biden’s speech by calling Biden the “true threat to democracy.” Trump said that Biden is destroying the country like no one else has done before. Trump compared Biden to Benedict Arnold, the one-time Continental Army officer who became a turncoat during the revolution and switched his allegiance to the British. Trump said that Biden is running a campaign of revenge, power, and dictatorship.
Conclusion
In conclusion, President Joe Biden delivered his first major campaign speech on January 5, 2024, in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, just before the three-year anniversary of the deadly Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Biden criticized Trump for his role in the Capitol riot, saying that Trump’s “lies brought a mob” to D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. Biden warned that Trump is the “true threat to democracy” and that he is destroying the country like no one else has done before. Biden’s campaign is about preserving and strengthening American democracy. Biden said that the fate of American democracy depends on the 2024 election because the threat to American democracy is not abstract and directly affects the lives of Americans
