Biden rips Trump over Jan. 6, touts 'sacred cause' of democracy in campaign speech

During a campaign speech in Valley Forge, Penn., President Joe Biden on Friday excoriated former President Donald Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and suggested a second Trump administration was a threat to democracy.

Biden has made the preservation of the American democratic system a central theme of his reelection effort, characterizing Trump's supporters as members of an "extremist movement."

"The choice is clear: Donald Trump’s campaign is about him. Not America, not you," Biden said, according to Politico. "Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future. He’s willing to sacrifice our democracy, put himself in power."

"Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time. It is what the 2024 election is all about," he also said. Biden further recalled the events of the Capitol riot and highlighted the participants' wielding of Trump flags and Confederate flags.

"It was among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history," he added.

Biden's remarks come one day after his campaign released an ad with similar messaging. The one-minute video featured images of the Jan. 6 participants, replete with Trump iconography, while Biden narrated.

"I've made the preservation of American democracy the central issue of my presidency. I believe in free and fair elections and the right to vote fairly and have your vote counted," he said in the video. "Now, something dangerous happened in America. There's an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs of our democracy."

New: Biden looks to put Jan. 6 at the center of his re-elect message, making it his Charlottesville of this campaign



To start: Two speeches this next week and this new ad focused on the riot (comes after millions of $ on Bidenomics ads).



https://t.co/tbRr1QdDKH pic.twitter.com/nIAiGsuHdz

— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) January 4, 2024

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.