Skip to main content

Biden Warns Democracies "Can Die When People Are Silent, Fail To Stand Up"

Biden Warns Democracies 'Can Die When People Are Silent, Fail To Stand Up'

"Democracies don't have to die at the end of a rifle, US President Joe Biden said.

Washington:

President Joe Biden launched a blistering, direct attack on "extremist" Donald Trump Thursday, urging Americans to stand up for democracy and accusing his rival of trying to subvert US institutions.

The Democrat said in a speech in the battleground state of Arizona that Trump was driven by "vengeance and vindictiveness" and that the Republican and his hard-right allies were attacking the free press and rule of law.

To avoid appearance of judicial interference, Biden has steered clear of commenting on the multiple criminal indictments against Trump, including over his involvement in efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss -- culminating in mayhem unleashed by his supporters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

But Biden, 80, did not hold back in the speech about what he says the country would risk from a second Trump term.

"We should all remember: democracies don't have to die the end of a rifle," Biden said. "They can die when people are silent, when they fail to stand up, or condemn threats to democracy."

Biden said there was "something dangerous happening in America" and that the Republican party was "driven and intimidated" by Trump's MAGA (Make America Great Again) fringe.

"They're not hiding their attacks. They're openly promoting them, attacking the free press as the enemy of the people, attacking the rule of law, fulminating voter suppression."

Biden criticized Republicans in particular for failing to speak up after Trump recently accused America's top military officer of treason, and lashed out at hardline Trump-allied Republicans for pushing the United States towards a government shutdown this week.

But Biden reserved some of his toughest words for Trump himself, unusually addressing him by name instead of referring to the Republican as he usually does as his "predecessor" or "the last guy".

- 'Vengeance' -

"Trump says the constitution gave him 'the right to do what he wants'," said Biden, referring to statements made by Trump about how he saw his powers in office.

"I've never even heard a president say that in jest -- not guided by the constitution or by common service and decency towards our fellow Americans, but by vengeance and vindictiveness."

At one point, after being interrupted by a climate change heckler, Biden said to the audience: "Democracy is never easy -- as was just demonstrated."

The speech came as House Republicans on Thursday launched impeachment inquiry hearings into Biden, based on unproven allegations that he lied about his son Hunter's business dealings.

Biden, however, touted his bipartisan credentials by using the speech to hail the legacy of his frequent political opponent and close friend -- the late Arizona senator John McCain.

McCain, a Vietnam war hero, was defeated in the 2008 presidential election by Barack Obama, with Biden on the winning ticket as vice president. But the two men put aside differences particularly after Trump won his own presidential election in 2016.

Biden described McCain, who died in 2018, as a "proud Republican who put country first."

McCain loathed Trump, withdrawing his support for him in the 2016 presidential election and saying before his death from brain cancer that he didn't want him at his funeral.

The feeling was mutual, with Trump mocking his war hero status in 2015.

Biden, by contrast, delivered a eulogy at McCain's funeral, saying that he "loved" him and that their friendship transcended political differences.

While the US election is still more than a year away, Biden and Trump notched up their first major head-to-head skirmish this week with dueling visits to auto industry workers in Michigan, another battleground state.

Biden's speech also comes the day after seven other Republican presidential hopefuls held a campaign debate in California. Trump, who holds overwhelming leads over all of his rivals, snubbed the event.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Adblock test (Why?)



from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/Uw4QNkd https://ift.tt/DCzdA4e
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

North Korea Says It Tested New Strategic Cruise Missile

North Korea test-fired a new generation of strategic cruise missile on Wednesday. (Representational) Seoul: North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a series of tension-raising moves by the nuclear-armed state. Hours later, North Korea appeared to confirm the firing, saying it had carried out its first test of a new generation of strategic cruise missiles it is developing, the Pulhwasal-3-31. Pyongyang has accelerated weapons testing in the new year, including tests of what it called an "underwater nuclear weapon system" and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile. "Our military detected several cruise missiles launched by North Korea towards the Yellow Sea at around 7:00 am today," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Unlike their ballistic counterparts, the testing of cruise missiles is not banned under current UN sanctions against Pyongyang. Cruise...

18-Year-Old Killed By Friends Over Mobile Game Password In Bengal: Cops

According to cops, accused "friends" attempted to burn the victim after killing him. (Representational) Kolkata: An argument over sharing the password of an online mobile game allegedly led to the murder of a teenage boy by four of his friends in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, a senior police officer said. The body of 18-year-old Papai Das, who had been missing since January 8, was discovered near Nishindra Ghat of the feeder canal in Farakka on Monday, police said. Papai, a class 10 student, was reportedly killed by his four "close" friends after a disagreement over sharing the password for a mobile online game. The accused individuals have been arrested, police added. "These five individuals used to play online games at one of the quarters of the Farakka Barrage. The victim went out on the evening of January 8 and never returned. On January 9, the family lodged a police complaint. "Based on preliminary investigations, we discovered that...

Russian Mercenary Arm Wagner Groups Says Moscow Army Attacked Its Forces

Russian mercenary group Wagner said that Moscow attacked on its rear camps. Moscow: The chief of Russian mercenary group Wagner on Friday accused Moscow's military leadership of ordering strikes on their camps and killing a "huge" number of forces. "We were ready to make concessions to the defence ministry, surrender our weapons," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a furious audio message released by his spokespeople. "Today, seeing that we have not been broken, they conducted missile strikes at our rear camps." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) Adblock test (Why?) from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/J4lDwvL https://ift.tt/w7JfFhE via IFTTT