President Joe Biden on Friday went on the offense against Donald Trump during a speech in Pennsylvania, blaming the former president's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement for degrading the integrity of the United States.
"We arrived down the street, and there was a Trump banner with an 'F. You' on it," Biden told supporters who gathered at Strath Haven Middle School in Wallingford. "And a 6-year-old kid putting up his middle finger."
"No, I'm serious. Did you ever think you'd hear people talk the way they do?" the president continued. "Look, it demeans who we are. That's not who America—That's not America."
Biden added that there was a difference "between those of us who want to pull America back into the past and those who want to move into the future. My lifetime has taught me to embrace the future."
The Context
Biden's speech on Friday was the start of several battleground-state visits the president plans to make over the coming weeks as he ramps up his reelection campaign. It also comes on the heels of his sweeping victory during Super Tuesday's primary votes and his fourth State of the Union address, which was delivered at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.
The 81-year-old president is all but certain to be Democrats' choice for November, setting Biden up to once again face off against Trump, 77, who is the overwhelming favorite for the GOP's presidential nomination. Biden made several references to Trump during his State of the Union but avoided saying the former president's name, and instead repeatedly pointed a finger at "my predecessor."
What We Know
Friday's speech repeated similar talking points that Biden used the night before, telling voters that the future of democracy rests on the 2024 election.
"Folks, our freedoms really are on the ballot this November," the president said. "Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans are trying to take away our freedoms. That's not an exaggeration. Well, guess what, we will not let him. We will not let him."
Biden said toward the end of his speech that Trump "sees the story" of America differently than him, claiming that the former president "sees a story of resentment, revenge, retribution." The president also accused Trump of praising Russian President Vladimir Putin and condemned him for hosting a meeting Friday with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is often considered the Kremlin's strongest ally in NATO.
"I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it," the president said to a cheering crowd. "Where we defend our freedoms, not take them away."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign via email for comment Friday evening.
Views
Trump spent Thursday night live "fact checking" Biden's State of the Union address over Truth Social and bashed the president's speech as "angry" and "polarizing."
"That may be the Angriest, Least Compassionate, and Worst State of the Union Speech ever made," Trump posted following the address. "It was an Embarrassment to our Country!"
Preliminary polling shows Biden and Trump roughly neck and neck for the next seat in the Oval Office, although the president is also fighting against abysmal approval ratings ahead of November. As of Friday, Biden's approval rating sat at 38.1 percent on average nationally, according to FiveThirtyEight. A majority of Americans—56 percent—say they disapprove of the president.
A recent poll from The New York Times/Siena College released last weekend also raised potential alarm bells for Democrats. Based on the responses of 980 registered voters, 48 percent said that they would vote for Trump if the presidential election were held today. Only 45 percent said they would cast their ballot for Biden.
Many Americans have concerns about the president's age, who is already the oldest sitting president in U.S. history. Biden is also facing growing pushback for his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
What's Next?
Both major political parties have several months before they make their official nomination picks for November. As it stands Friday, Biden has earned 1,866 delegates for the Democratic National Committee, while his next closest challenger, the "uncommitted" vote, has earned 20.
Trump has secured 1,066 Republican delegates. His last remaining GOP challenger, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, dropped out of the primary race earlier this week.
Update 03/08/24, 8:53 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
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