Biden accuses Trump and his supporters of undermining the nation’s democratic values

Judy Woodruff:

The 2022 midterm election season is in full swing. And President Biden says existential dangers are looming large.

In a speech last night, Mr. Biden raised the alarm about extremist forces within the Republican Party and the escalating threat they pose to democracy.

Laura Barron-Lopez has more.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: As I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under assault.

Laura Barrón-López:

On the same day former President Donald Trump floated full pardons for January 6 insurrectionists if elected again, President Joe Biden warned that America's republic is in peril.

Joe Biden:

Too much of what's happening in our country today is not normal.

Laura Barrón-López:

During the prime-time address in Philadelphia, Biden sounded the alarm about the GOP being controlled by extremists that promote violence and election lies.

Joe Biden:

Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.

Democracy cannot survive when one side believes there are only two outcomes to an election: Either they win or they were cheated.

Laura Barrón-López:

It's a new and aggressive shift from the president, who in the past refrained from naming his predecessor.

President Biden's speech is part of a larger effort by Democrats to confront a movement they warn has abandoned typical partisan politics.

Joe Biden:

History tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and a willingness to engage in political violence is fatal to democracy.

MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards. They promote authoritarian leaders, and they fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law.

Laura Barrón-López:

President Biden also invoked to the F-word at a recent fund-raiser in Maryland, likening the make America great again philosophy to semi-fascism.

Diagnosing the Trump wing of the Republican Party as having fascist and authoritarian underpinnings is new for President Biden. It comes after he recently spoke to historians about ongoing threats to democracy.

Michael Beschloss was one of them.

Michael Beschloss, Presidential Historian:

He said: "Does this moment in America remind you of anything in American history?"

This reminded me of 1860, when we were on the precipice of civil war, 1940, when Americans were choosing whether or not to stand up to Hitler. I believe that this is a year that may have a lot to do with whether America is a democracy in two years. Great presidents in history, if they feel that we're at a major turning point, such as whether we're going to be a democracy or not, the president makes that clear.

Laura Barrón-López:

Beschloss says Biden's new language has a specific historical lineage among past presidents.

Michael Beschloss:

Joe Biden is trying to educate people that much of what they're seeing politically is not just a feature of 2022, but something that goes back in history, especially to the 1930s, when Father Charles Coughlin, the radio priest, and others said, America can do without elections. There should be big regimentation. There should be little separation between church and state, and the official religion should be Christianity.

He's willing to draw the line between democracy and what he sees as the opponents of democracy.

Laura Barrón-López:

Biden's shift come 65 days out from the midterm elections. It's welcomed by many scholars who've long identified modern Republicanism as a movement embracing more violence, autocrats and candidates willing to overturn election results.

Republicans appeared universally silent in the hours after Trump renewed calls to pardon those who violently stormed the Capitol, but quickly criticized the president's speech, accusing Biden of doom-and-gloom theatrics.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH):

He came across as a sad angry kind of bitter old man here, kind of look like that — the lighting and all sort of looked like Darth Vader, it seemed to me.

Laura Barrón-López:

Meanwhile, Trump's continued lies about the 2020 election outcome have convinced the majority of Republican voters that the presidency was stolen.

This week, Trump repeatedly posted on his social media site, TRUTH Social, demanding he be declared the winner of the 2020 election. And in response to a search of his Mar-a-Lago home for highly classified documents, Trump has stoked anger and distrust of the FBI.

A number of Republicans rallied to his side.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC):

If there's a prosecution of Donald Trump for mishandling classified information, there will be riots in the streets.

Laura Barrón-López:

Biden rebuked Republicans who have normalized talk of political violence, identifying them as the commanding force of the party.

And, today, he again tried to reach those he described as mainstream Republicans.

Joe Biden:

I don't consider any Trump supporter a threat to the country.

I do think anyone who calls for the use of violence, fails to condemn violence when it's used, refuses to acknowledge when an election has been won, insists upon changing the way in which we rule and count votes, that is a threat to democracy.

Laura Barrón-López:

Threats of violence and election denialism among the right are two reasons why some Democrats agree with Biden's new diagnosis, like Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI):

Well, it took President Biden a long time to get to the speech that he gave last night. And I think it's because of his long-term reticence to characterize the Republican Party in these terms.

Some people dispute the use of the word fascist. Some people think authoritarian is more accurate. There may be a new word to describe this kind of right-wing, anti small-D democratic tendency, but the truth is that there's an international authoritarian movement with which Trump is aligned.

Laura Barrón-López:

Schatz said, ultimately, races across the country will come down to one question.

Sen. Brian Schatz:

Look, you may disagree with us about this or that tax policy or even social policy, but the most important foundational belief when it comes to casting your ballot is, is the person that you're voting for in favor of American-style democracy or not?

Laura Barrón-López:

The White House is hoping this bold approach convinces voters to cast a ballot for Democrats and democracy come November.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Laura Barrón-López.