Issuing blunt new warnings about his predecessor Donald Trump's potential return to the White House, US President Joe Biden cited "potential threats" to the country's democracy, stating that something "dangerous" is happening in America.
Stating that democracies die when people "remain silent" and "don't stand up", he urged the voters to prioritise the health of American institutions.
"There's something dangerous happening in America now…There's an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs of our democracy: The MAGA movement," Biden said during his speech in Arizona on Thursday.
"We should all remember: Democracies don't have to die at the end of a rifle. They can die when people are silent, when they fail to stand up," he added.
"There's no question that today's Republican Party is driven and intimidated by MAGA Republican extremists," Biden said, using the acronym for Trump's political movement, adding, "Their extreme agenda, if carried out, would fundamentally alter the institutions of American democracy as we know it," CNN reported.
"Make America Great Again" is a political slogan popularized by Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Notably, the stark message was Biden's most forceful attempt at calling out Trump's antidemocratic behaviour since the former president was criminally charged for his attempts to subvert the 2020 election results.
According to CNN, it also gives an idea about Biden's forthcoming reelection message, one centred on Trump's own words and actions as threats to democracy.
Biden said that his predecessor was guided not by the Constitution or decency, but by "vengeance and vindictiveness."
The US President remained mostly silent when indictments and arrests of the former president piled up over the summer. However, as Trump's prohibitive lead in the Republican primary remains unchanged – and as Biden's own standing remains mired in low approval – the president is sharpening his attacks on his most likely 2024 rival as a danger to democracy, CNN reported.
"Trump says the Constitution gave him the right to do whatever he wants as president," Biden said, referencing his most likely GOP challenger by name. "I've never heard presidents say that in jest."
"I believe in free and fair elections and peaceful transfer of power. I believe there's no place in America – none, none, none – for political violence," CNN quoted Biden as saying.
Meanwhile, the speech came at a time of political uncertainty for Biden, as he faces persistent questions about his age, disapproval of his handling of the job and an indictment of his son, Hunter. Also, the House Republicans held their first hearing in an impeachment inquiry into Biden on Thursday.
"Let there be no question: Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans are determined to destroy American democracy. And I will always defend, protect, and fight for our democracy. That's why I running," he said at a Broadway theatre last week.
Two days later, he amplified his warnings to a group of lawyers – and said he was confident he could defeat Trump for a second time.
"I'm now running again. Because guess what? I think that it's likely to be the same fellow, and it's likely that I think I can beat him again," CNN quoted him as saying.
In the lead-up to the 2022 midterm elections, Biden delivered a resounding message in front of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, warning of "MAGA forces" that "tried everything last time to nullify the votes of 81 million people."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
