Speaking on Thursday from the National Statuary Hall at the Capitol, which one year ago today witnessed the worst attack on American government since 1814, President Joe Biden passionately condemned the ālies and madnessā that drove the January 6 insurrectionācalling out President Donald Trump and his supporters for putting āa dagger at the throat of American democracy.ā
In what was probably one of the most forceful addresses of his still-fledgling presidency, Biden accused Trump and his Republican enablers of waging an āundemocraticā attack on the ideals of the American founding, including and especially the right to free and fair elections.
“For the first time in our history, a president had not just lost an election. He tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob reached the Capitol,” Biden said. āBut they failed. They failed. And on this day of remembrance, we must make sure that such an attack never, never happens again.”
Biden forcefully rebuked Republican efforts to smooth over and minimize the terror that shook the Capitol, either by dismissing it as a ātourist visitā or deeming the rioters themselves patriots.
āThis wasnāt a group of tourists,ā Biden said. āThis was an armed insurrection. They werenāt looking to uphold the will of the people. They were looking to deny the will of the people.ā
Biden continued by attempting to reclaim the 2020 election from GOP lies. It was, instead, āthe greatest exercise of democracy in the history of this country.ā
āMore of you voted in that election than have ever voted in all of American history,ā he said. āOver 150 million Americans went to the polls and voted that day. In a pandemic. Some at great risk to their lives. They should be applauded, not attacked.ā
But Biden didn’t shy away from casting Republican attacks on voting rights as a real and persistent existential threat. “It’s wrong. It’s undemocratic. And frankly it’s un-American,” he said.
Biden’s remarks came as Democrats prepare to push for new voting rights legislation to combat an unprecedented effort by Republicans to limit the right to vote. The legislation has garnered very little Republican support and is virtually guaranteed to fail unless the Senate votes to reform the filibuster, which conservative Democrats oppose. Biden appeared to reference those bills when he urged Americans to “write the next chapter in American history” and ensure that “January 6 marks not the end of democracy, but the beginning of a renaissance of liberty and fair play.”
In public appearances, Biden has generally declined to speak about Trump when given the opportunity. But in todayās speech, he broke that rule, even if he didn’t mention Trump by name.
āHe’s not just the former president. He’s a defeated former president. Defeated by a margin of over 7 million of your votes in a full and free and fair election.ā
Watch the entire speech below: