US president Joe Biden mentioned his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, 24 times in his speech in Virginia, the 'New York Post' reported. According to the media outlet, Trump’s name featured significantly in Biden’s 17-minute address to the audience.
The Democrat, who arrived to support the candidacy of Terry McAuliffe in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, laid into his predecessor for criticising late Republican senator John McCain and former US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, who died on 19 October and described Trump as a person, who “continues to incite people”, blaming his rival for the storming of the Capitol on 6 January.
“[This criticism comes from a guy] who invented a big lie, drove the mob of insurrectionists to breach the Capitol and to this day he incites people all around the country. To Donald Trump the insurrection isn’t a violent assault that took place on 6 January . No! To Trump the insurrection was the 3 November election, when more Americans voted than they ever voted in all of our history,” Biden said.
Biden then linked Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin, who is running against McAuliffe, to Donald Trump, wondering why Youngkin pledges loyalty to Trump in private, but fails to do it in public.
“What’s he trying to hide? Is there a problem with Trump being here? Is he embarrassed?” the president asked the audience.
Biden’s statement echoes those made by Terry McAuliffe, who has, for months, mentioned the former president when attacking his rival.
“What’s he trying to hide? Is there a problem with Trump being here? Is he embarrassed?” the president asked the audience.
Biden’s statement echoes those made by Terry McAuliffe, who has, for months, mentioned the former president when attacking his rival.
“Glenn Youngkin's priorities are clear: He is running for Governor to bring Donald Trump's dangerous conspiracy theories to Virginia. He refuses to let go of Trump's 2020 election conspiracy theories ... This behaviour is dangerous and it's disqualifying,” he said at the beginning of October.
The last remark refers to Donald Trump’s claims that he lost 2020 presidential race to Biden, because the vote was rigged by the Democrats. Glenn Youngkin previously said that voting machines in Virginia should be regularly tested and audited, suggesting that would ensure voters "can trust the process".
Social media users have mocked Joe Biden’s and Terry McAuliffe’s frequent invocation of Donald Trump labelling it a "fixation".
Social media users have mocked Joe Biden’s and Terry McAuliffe’s frequent invocation of Donald Trump labelling it a "fixation".
Many users criticised both politicians for using Trump as the bogeyman to persuade constituents to vote for the Democrats.
Still others joked that the left "misses" Trump, whereas others suggested that they were afraid of him.
Gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey are widely seen as a litmus test for Joe Biden’s presidency. Polls predict a tight race in Virginia, a state where Biden beat Trump by 10 points. The election comes in the wake of Joe Biden’s approval ratings nosediving in recent months.
The majority of respondents (53 percent) surveyed by Quinnipiac University, disapprove of Joe Biden's performance. The significant fall in ratings was caused by the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan as well as a vaccine mandate for federal workers, which some employees deemed controversial.
The majority of respondents (53 percent) surveyed by Quinnipiac University, disapprove of Joe Biden's performance. The significant fall in ratings was caused by the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan as well as a vaccine mandate for federal workers, which some employees deemed controversial.