In what amounts to a de facto campaign launch, President Joe Biden will centre his reelection attempt on Friday on the defence of democracy.
In his 2024 campaign, the president will use the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection to set the stage. Senior Biden advisers who provided a preview of the speech said that the president will use the history of the Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, location to argue that his probable rematch with Donald Trump will be a test of the republic’s foundation.
While speaking with reporters on a call, one of the advisors—who was allowed to remain anonymous according to the rules—said, “Democracy is not a sideline issue: It is a sacred cause.” Voters make their decisions in national elections after big occurrences. On January 6th, voters will not forget.
The more time passes since the riots of that day, the less certain it is that that claim is accurate. Recent polling by the Washington Post and the University of Maryland indicated that 34% of Republican voters hold the incorrect belief that the attempted coup was orchestrated by the FBI.
Speeches like the one Biden delivers on Friday are seen by the campaign as a way to both frame the stakes ahead and remind Americans of what happened. A group of historians was gathered at the White House earlier this week by the president in preparation for the speech.
For a long time, Biden’s staff had contemplated having the event close to Valley Forge, the historic site that served as the Continental Army headquarters under George Washington in the American Revolution. The location has historical significance as the site of a struggle for liberty and the subsequent decisions taken in Washington, according to advisers who spoke during Thursday’s media call.
In two separate instances, Washington voluntarily relinquished power: first, he left his position as army chief, and second, he left the presidency after two terms. Aides to Biden contend that his actions stand in stark contrast to Trump’s.
During the 2022 midterm elections, the president emphasised the need of fighting for democracy as the party’s primary platform. In a lecture he gave at the McCain Institute last year, he went back to the same topic.
During his remarks on Friday, Biden will expand the concept of freedom to address other issues, according to officials. That encompasses economic justice, the right to vote, and the right to an abortion. Next, he will deliver a speech at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, followed by the Valley Forge speech on Saturday, which was postponed from the third anniversary of the uprising due to an upcoming storm. Mass shootings involving racists occurred at that church in 2015. His address there will serve as an outreach to Black voters and connect the brutality to vile extremism, according to his advisers.
The upcoming schedule of events for Joe Biden is reflective of his many important election objectives. South Carolina has the first officially sanctioned Democratic primary of the year, and his visit there will demonstrate how highly he considers the state.
And many political operatives regard Pennsylvania—where Biden will make his swing on Friday—as the most crucial state on the road to November, since that is where he has spent the most time since becoming president. According to aides, a loss there would probably mean losing the election.