WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden said on Thursday that threats to democracy by some Republican candidates threatening to reject the results of the Nov. 8 election are a threat to democracy, before Donald Trump. accused the president of inciting them.
In a speech days before Americans decided whether the Democrats would retain control of both the Senate and House or hand power over to the Republicans, Mr Biden said: “Without a doubt, democracy is the vote of all of us. It depends,” he said.
Biden speaks at Union Station in Washington, not far from Capitol Hill, and democracy is under threat after Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked with a hammer at his San Francisco home. taken as evidence. , 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
“The perpetrator entered the house and asked, ‘Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?’ These are the exact words the mob used when they stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6,” Biden said.
He urged voters to “think long and hard about the moment we’re in.”
“As I stand here today, there are candidates running for office at every level of America, including governor, Congress, attorney general, and secretary of state, and they are committed to accepting the results of the election. “I’m in,” he said.
Biden said election deniers were inspired by Trump considering running for president in 2024.
Biden said “American democracy is under attack” because Trump won’t accept the 2020 election results that he lost to Biden.
“He refuses to accept the will of the people, he refuses to accept that he has lost.
[1/4] President Joe Biden speaks about threats to American democracy and political violence at the Democratic National Committee event at the Columbus Club in Washington, USA, November 2, 2022. REUTERS/Leah Millis
Separately, former President Barack Obama also expressed concern about the state of democracy.
Addressing a Democratic rally for state candidates in Arizona late Wednesday, Obama said he was committed to helping women, African Americans and other marginalized people participate in democracy. , and said it was now at risk.
Biden, along with Obama, is in the Democratic Party’s frenetic campaign just days before the midterm elections next Tuesday, but faces the prospect of a Republican gaining control of Congress, which he believes is likely to end. interfere with the agenda of
Most midterm forecasts predict that Republicans will almost certainly control the House, but the Senate is a toss-up.
Biden expressed optimism as he closed his 20-minute speech, saying the “fate of the nation” rests with the people.
“My fellow Americans, we will meet in this moment. We must remember who we are. We are the United States of America. “Nothing is beyond my capabilities,” he said.
Although voter fraud is extremely rare in the United States, it is a concern for a significant number of Americans. A Reuters/Ipsos poll tied Monday showed that 49% of Americans believe voter fraud is a widespread problem, with 34% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans holding that view. There is
Nearly 44% of respondents said they were concerned about fraud in US elections, including 28% of Democrats and 62% of Republicans.
Despite these beliefs, 67% of respondents, including majority Democrats and Republicans, said they were confident their votes would be counted accurately.
Reporting by Andrea Charal and Jeff Mason. Written by Steve Holland and Doina Chiacu. Additional reporting by his Anirdh Saligrama in Bengaluru.Edited by Deepa Babington and Leslie Adler
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