The United States experiences an almost constant election campaign. With elections every two years (between presidential and midterm elections) and a long primary process, the race for the White House, which will culminate in the vote on November 5, 2024, is already on. US President Joe Biden, who is running for re-election, and his likely rival Donald Trump are already engaged in close combat in the face of another duel. Both were in Michigan this week, one of the crucial states, competing for the votes of industrial workers. And this Thursday, Biden accused Trump and his supporters of being a threat to democracy and the Constitution. “Something dangerous is happening in the United States. There is an extremist movement that does not share the core beliefs of our democracy. The MAGA movement,” Biden said, referring to the acronym for Make America Great Again. [Hacer Estados Unidos grande otra vez], Trump’s motto. “Democracies can die if people remain silent,” he warned.
“Not all Republicans – not even most Republicans – adhere to the extremist MAGA ideology. I know this because I have been able to work with Republicans throughout my career. But there is no doubt that today’s Republican Party is driven and intimidated by MAGA extremists. “His extremist agenda, if implemented, would fundamentally change the institutions of American democracy as we know it,” he emphasized at an event in Tempe, Arizona, where he was interrupted at one point by one of the participants.
The president has presented himself as a protective barrier against threats to “a democracy that is in danger”: “I have made the defense, protection and preservation of American democracy the central focus of my presidency,” he assured, with a huge American flag in the back it, flanked by two smaller ones. The news is not new. Biden brought it up when he took office and gave three speeches last year with similar arguments. This time, however, he wanted to repeat his warning in an act of homage to his friend, the late Republican Senator John McCain, who faced Trump and who embodies policies diametrically opposed to those of the former president.
In addition to personal anecdotes from his relationship with McCain, Biden chose to highlight the danger of Trumpist extremism to institutions. He also did so on the same day that the first session of the formal inquiry into the possible impeachment of Biden took place in the House of Representatives, a case raised by House President Kevin McCarthy to satisfy the hard wing of the Republican Party.
“From Gettysburg to my inaugural address to the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection [los discursos del] At Independence Hall in Philadelphia and Union Station in Washington, I spoke about the danger of election denial and political violence and the battle for the soul of America,” Biden recalled.
“I have come to honor the McCain Institute and Library because they are the home of a proud Republican who puts country first. Our commitment should not be less because democracy should unite all Americans, regardless of their political affiliation,” the president said. “As I have always made clear, democracy is not a partisan issue. “It’s an American problem,” he added.
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Close wounds
“Today I am here in Phoenix, Arizona, at an institute dedicated to the defense of democracy and named after a true patriot, to talk about another threat to our democracy that we all too often ignore: the threat to our institutions , our “Our Own Constitution and the Character of Our Nation Itself,” had previously laid the foundation.
Biden came to the White House with the intention of healing wounds and unifying the country after a tumultuous period marked by the divisive figure of Trump, but polarization has not only not abated, it has actually increased. Trump has used his indictment on 91 felonies in four separate cases to portray himself as a victim of political persecution and to attack the Justice Department, the FBI, judges and prosecutors. Very few in his party have dared to oppose him and raise their voices against him. This Thursday, Biden recalled the threats of revenge from Trump and his people in the event of an election victory.
With his tribute to McCain, Biden wants to show that it is possible to heal wounds. Trump couldn’t host a similar event with a high-profile Democrat. In this climate of confrontation, Trump accuses Biden in his speeches of being a puppet of the “radical left” and “environmental extremists.” The former president is remotely promoting the impeachment of Biden and the partial government shutdown due to lack of funding.
Opposition to Trump
After the November 2022 general and local elections, many viewed Trump’s prominence on the campaign trail – and the extremist candidates he promoted – as the cause of the Republican Party’s disappointing results. Trump scared off moderate voters and mobilized Democrats. However, the Republican base blindly supports him and he leads the presidential primary by more than 40 points over runner-up Ron DeSantis.
Biden’s popularity in the polls is very low, and although he is trying to flaunt the successes of his mandate, the role of opposition to Trump could be more profitable for the elections than his own management. It worked for him in the 2020 presidential election and the 2022 general election. The Trumpist threat has not gone away, so the president is returning to the fray, although doubts remain as to whether his message will have worn off a bit.
“We are at a turning point in our history, one of those moments that only happens every few generations. “The decisions we make today will determine the course of this country – and the world – for decades to come,” reiterated the president, who has already said that the previous elections, the 2022 general elections, marked this turning point.
“That is why you, I and all Americans who work to preserve our democracy have a special responsibility. We must defend America’s values enshrined in our Declaration of Independence because we know that MAGA extremists have already proven they will not. We must defend our Constitution and the institutions of democracy because MAGA extremists have made it clear they will not. History is watching. The world is watching. And more importantly, our children and grandchildren will hold us accountable,” he added. “The soul of America depends on the soul of Americans,” he said near the end of his speech.
Accompanied by Ambassador Cindy McCain, John McCain’s widow, the McCain family, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, and Arizona Congressmen, he supported American Rescue Plan funding for the construction of the McCain Library in collaboration with the McCain Institute and Arizona State University announced. It is a new multi-purpose facility that will provide educational, employment and health monitoring programs to disadvantaged communities in the state.
The investigation against Biden begins in the House of Representatives
Biden’s speech in defense of democracy coincided with the first meeting of a House of Representatives commission that was supposed to formally investigate him as a precursor to a possible political trial (impeachment). Republicans have been investigating Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, for years over his business dealings while his father was vice president. Some of these deals appear questionable, but no evidence has been found that Joe Biden abused his office or accepted bribes in his current or previous positions. The investigation is a concession to members of the hardline Republican Party, but convicting and removing Biden is not feasible.
“We are 62 hours away from shutting down the U.S. government and Republicans are launching an impeachment campaign based on a long-discredited and debunked lie,” Jamie Raskin, the commission’s Democratic spokesman, said in his opening statement.
Republican James Comer, chairman of the committee where the hearing took place, alleged that Hunter Biden took advantage of access to Joe Biden, the family brand. “Republicans are insinuating that the then-Vice President’s son was well aware of his father’s power and status when he was doing business and that if he were hired, he would only serve to gain access to his father .
Republicans have brought in Georgetown law professor Jonathan Turley as an expert. In 1998, he spoke out in favor of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and against the first of the two trials against President Donald Trump. Turley said he doesn’t believe the evidence so far supports filing impeachment charges against Biden, but there are reasons to open an investigation, such as “demonstrably false” statements made by Biden about his son’s business dealings and the billions of dollars in money moved as part of that process Suspicion of influence.
Michael Gerhardt, a law professor at the University of North Carolina who was subpoenaed by Democrats, said he had not heard any evidence to bring charges against the president. “Any additional investigation will be conducted to ensure that Mr. Biden must prove his innocence, not that the committee is able to connect the dots in a compelling and compelling way,” Gerhardt said in his opening statement.
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