On Friday, Joe Biden kicked off his reelection campaign with a speech that was powerful and laid out the stakes – that Trump is a true threat to democracy.
“Donald Trump’s campaign is about him — not America, not you,” the president said at a speech in Valley Forge on Friday that was moved up from the anniversary of Jan. 6, 2021 due to bad weather. “Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future. He’s willing to sacrifice our democracy, put himself in power.”
Meanwhile, on Friday night, Trump responded with a speech that included an accusation that the Civil War happened because Lincoln refused to negotiate but he wanted to be famous, so he let the war happen.
Trump on The Civil War: I’m so attracted to seeing it. There was something that could’ve been negotiated… Abraham Lincoln, if he negotiated it, we wouldn’t know who Lincoln was. He wouldn’t have been the Abraham Lincoln. But that would’ve been ok. pic.twitter.com/RbmnXCvypI
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 6, 2024
Then he added this…
Trump responds to Biden’s speech by claiming that Biden stuttered through it. He then does his impression of people who stutter pic.twitter.com/DwZo4SITHA
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 5, 2024
As if that was not enough…
Donald Trump mocks John McCain's injury sustained while a prisoner of war. McCain was unable to lift his arms above his shoulders.
"John McCain for some reason couldn’t get his arm up that day." pic.twitter.com/RFTwP9sDxN
— American Bridge 21st Century (@American_Bridge) January 6, 2024
It was reminiscent of a very dark moment in American history. This:
This proves another case.
So much for all the fake defenses regarding Trump's mocking of NYT reporter Serge Kovaleski, who suffers from arthrogryposis, a congenital condition affecting the joints.
Donald Trump thinks it is fine to make fun of disabled.https://t.co/ZuHaYAd3mu
— Craig Silverman (@craigscolorado) January 6, 2024
That Trump still won the presidency after that incident does not speak well of our nation in general, and if this does not hurt him, then it’s clear we have not improved all that much. I am hopeful that if Trump keeps this up and more people hear it, they will get in touch with those mythic “Better Angels” and reject him and vote for Biden.
But not sure. Biden’s speech unfortunately happened on a Friday afternoon, the worst time for news to break (that’s why bad news is always revealed at this time). People are not paying as much attention. Sure, he sounds older than he did in 2008, but the speech was solid, with no notable gaffes. Trump’s speech was not only horrifying but also rambling and all over the place.
Yes, I know that this is bucking a sacred belief among many in the DC punditry, that Biden’s age is obvious while somehow Trump’s rantings come across as “vigorous.” Just by comparing the two speeches, the choice of who should lead our country is pretty clear. Unless, of course, mocking war veterans about their injuries and people who stutter makes for presidential timber.
Would you want to be around a person who thinks that? I really wouldn’t. I never bought into this idea that a person’s politics is somehow separate from the person. It’s part of who they are, sometimes the most honest reflection of who they are. I said this last July, the election is not just a referendum on two candidates, but a reflection of the person doing the voting. Sometimes I see people making excuses for Trump supporters, although that really has faded some. How can you excuse supporting such petty cruelty?
As we move forward, it is pretty much a no-brainer we will see more examples of why supporting Trump is a deep character flaw. It is what it is, and not really something worth defending.
The last word goes to Rachel Bloom.
Trump personifies the profound moral squalor of those who who are ignorant of his threat to democracy and the integrity of this country. He triggers their unconscious fears and hate.