Saturday marks the third anniversary of the attack, when an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the headquarters of Congress in Washington to prevent the formal confirmation of Biden's election victory over Trump. Trump had already incited his supporters with an angry speech.
On Friday, Biden appeared at a school in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, to promote his re-election in November. The speech was originally scheduled for Saturday, but was postponed due to an impending winter storm. The location was chosen for its historical references: Blue Bell is located near Valley Forge, where future first US President George Washington camped with his troops in the Revolutionary War against British colonial rulers in the winter of 1777/78.
America’s “Holy Cause”
On Friday, Biden attacked his Republican opponent in a blunt and direct way. He accused Trump of using Nazi-era rhetoric. The Republican spoke of poisoning the blood of Americans and called his opponents “worms,” “exactly the same language that was used in Nazi Germany.” Almost in a whisper, Biden said: “How dare he? Who in God's name does he think he is?” If Trump is re-elected, there will be “revenge and retaliation” against political opponents. Trump wants to “steal history” with lies, Biden said. “We all know who Donald Trump is. The question is: who are we?” Trump is “willing to sacrifice our democracy to gain power.”
This year’s election is about whether democracy is still “America’s sacred cause.” Biden said his top priority was to defend, protect and preserve democracy. Trump, on the other hand, steadfastly refuses to condemn politically motivated violence.
Bad poll numbers
Before the speech, Biden's campaign team released its first election commercial. In the minute-long clip, Biden warned of an “extremist movement that does not share the fundamental beliefs of our democracy.” Although the president does not mention Trump by name, images of the 2021 attack on the Capitol are shown, among other things. “I have made the preservation of American democracy a key theme of my presidency,” said the 81-year-old.
Biden has recently recorded miserable approval ratings of less than 40 percent – despite improvements in the US economic situation – and his campaign hasn't really gained momentum so far. Many voters said in polls that Biden was too old. His policy toward Israel was also rejected, especially by young men.
Processes during the election campaign
Trump, on the other hand, has not been hampered by his legal complications so far, although he faces several charges. The right-wing populist uses his court dates for election campaign appearances, in which he portrays himself as a victim of a justice system motivated by partisan politics. In national polls, Trump and Biden are practically tied. In several of the states considered crucial to the elections – the “swing states” – Trump was recently ahead of Biden.
Because of his attempts to overturn the election results, Trump was indicted twice, by the federal judiciary and in the state of Georgia. The trials could begin in the coming months and, therefore, in the middle of the election campaign.
Supreme Court intervenes
The 77-year-old is the clear favorite in the internal Republican race for the presidential nomination. With an average ranking of over 60% in searches, he is well ahead of his six competitors. The month-long series of primaries to select presidential candidates begins on January 15 in the state of Iowa, where Republicans will vote for the candidates.
Trump was removed from the polls in Colorado and Maine — decisions he plans to legally challenge. On Friday, the US Supreme Court announced it would grant a request from Trump. The case is scheduled to be heard on February 8 in the Washington state courthouse.
Defiant Haley behind Trump
Trump is holding a series of campaign events in Iowa these days. His two strongest domestic rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former ambassador Nikki Haley, appeared together at an event in the Midwestern state on Thursday. Haley warned of “chaos” if Trump returned to the White House. She was a member of the Trump administration team as ambassador to the UN.
Haley, who was also governor of South Carolina, also pointed to polls that show she is ahead of Biden in the national comparison – and therefore better than Trump. However, in polls about internal Republican competition, Haley is far behind Trump, with an average of about eleven percent.