A central tenet of President Biden’s reelection campaign strategy has been to characterize former President Donald Trump as a danger to democracy; yet, others contend that Biden’s remarks likewise endanger American liberties.
Biden has warned that if Trump should prevail in November, he will destroy democracy because of authoritarianism and his claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
In keyword searches of Biden’s speeches, “Trump” has come up 17 times, “freedom” eight times, and “democracy” four times, yet Biden has only mentioned the economy and inflation twice and three times, respectively. Attacking Trump with an arguably, at best, opinion rather than telling people what is wrong with Trump’s “policy” is not winning over voters.
Politicians and historians contend that democracy is secure since federal and municipal governments are operating as planned, the presidential election is held on schedule, and participation rates are high. Biden’s rhetoric undermines democracy by making voters question the stability of the US system.
This year, Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas and a staunch supporter of President Trump claimed in an opinion piece that Biden was a greater danger to democracy. Historian Craig Shirley enumerated the ways in which Biden has twisted democracy to suit his political goals, including his refusal to uphold immigration laws, his requirement that federal employees and service members receive vaccinations, and his disregard for the Supreme Court’s ruling that his plan to reduce student loan debt was unconstitutional.
Concerningly, Biden’s criticism of the Supreme Court for judgments that reversed Roe v. Wade and invalidated his promise to cancel student debts conveys to the American people that the law is unimportant. According to recent surveys, Biden’s criticism of Trump is reaching out to those who already disagree with him, but it isn’t persuading others who aren’t sure.
According to an NBC News study, people’s top concerns about the nation are inflation (23%) and immigration (22%), more so than “threats to democracy” (16%).
