by Steve Holland, Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw
PHILADELPHIA, Sept 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday accused Republicans allied to Donald Trump of undermining the country’s democratic foundations and called on readers to reject extremism amid November’s midterms – midterm elections to the US Congress.
Speaking from Philadelphia in a primetime televised address, the White House chief blamed so-called “MAGA” Republicans (a reference to Donald Trump’s beloved slogan, “Make America Great Again”) for being willing to cancel democratic elections.
He also accused them of being “determined to take this country backwards”, at a time without the right to abortion, privacy, contraception and same-sex marriage – rights that most Americans support.
“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” Biden said. “As I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under attack. We are not doing ourselves any favors by pretending otherwise.”
The speech marks a shift for Joe Biden as the midterm elections approach as, according to advisers, the US president becomes increasingly concerned about anti-democratic tendencies within the Republican Party and seeks to protect Congress, controlled by the Democrats, as well as his chances of re-election in 2024.
After having devoted, since the beginning of the year, most of his energy to the fight against the outbreak of inflation and the war in Ukraine, Joe Biden has begun in recent days to attack the Trumpist Republicans strongly.
(Report Steve Holland Philadelphia, Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw Washington, with Jeff Mason and Tyler Clifford Washington; French version Jean Terzian)