Biden Ratchets Up Attacks on ‘Despicable’ Trump At Private Fundraiser — Goes Deep on Insurrection Threat
President Joe Biden ratcheted up his attacks on former President Donald Trump at a private fundraiser, calling Trump “despicable” and going deep on the Capitol insurrection and the “threat” a Trump win represents.
The president’s campaigning thus far has been restricted to fundraisers at which cameras are not present, which was the case this week when he spoke at several closed-door fundraising receptions. But in addition to raising money for his reelection and the Democratic Party, these events can be seen as Biden working out material that will likely end up in public stump speeches as the campaign progresses.
President Biden began escalating last week with a much more aggressive speech towards Trump that took on his actions during the violence at the Capitol and recent Trump comments that have been widely compared to Nazi rhetoric.
Since then, Biden has ramped up even more, calling Trump “despicable” on three separate occasions and delving into the “many threats” Trump poses to the country — as he did in Philadelphia on Monday:
Let me be clear: Donald Trump poses many threats to this country, from the right to choose, to civil rights, to voting rights, to America’s standing in the world.
You ought to come to me at these international meetings with other heads of state — who I’ve known for a long time — listen to what their concerns are about this election.
But the greatest threat he poses is to our democracy, because if we lose that, we lose everything.
When I first ran for president, I said at — at Independence Hall, I made a speech. I said democracy is at stake in America. And the press — understandably, because it was — they hadn’t heard that before — thought, “Well, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration.” Everybody but the press saw it. The American people understood it. But they didn’t think it — they don’t think that anymore — the press.
Remember January 6th? Trump sitting in the — the small dining room off my O- — off of the Oval Office for hours and hours watching it all unfold on television: a mob attacked the Capitol, desecrated the Capitol, killed some people. The mob threaten the life of his own vice president because he would not violate the Constitution to make a fake election.
The same mob that went looking for Nancy Pelosi in the Capitol, spun up by the lies, inspired by assaults — and inspired assaults on her husband with a hammer to his head months later. It’s just despicable.
Did you ever think you would see that in our — in any generation sitting before me here?
Biden has also introduced a new laugh line to his fundraiser patter:
Trump became the first losing presidential candidate in history who refused to accept the will of the people.
He didn’t show up at my inauguration. Can’t say I was disappointed. (Laughter.) I guess he won’t show up for the second inauguration either, but — (laughter and applause).
The president made similar remarks at two other private fundraisers in California over the past several days.
