President Joe Biden has warned Americans that his predecessor Donald Trump and his die-hard followers are trying to "undermine" democracy and asked them to confront the "extremists" who fan the flames of political violence in pursuit of power.
Delivering his sharpest rebuke yet of Republicans in a prime-time speech from the iconic Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the US Declaration of Independence was signed nearly 250 years ago, Biden warned that the supporters of Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) agenda are a threat to American democracy.
"As I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under assault," Biden, a Democrat warned, ahead of crucial mid-term elections in November that will determine control of Congress.
"Too much of what's happening in our country today is not normal. Donald Trump and MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans represent an extremism that threatens our very republic. MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution," the 79-year-old president said, in a rare instance of slamming his predecessor by name.
"There's no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans,” Biden said, referring to Trump's 2016 campaign slogan, Make America Great Again.
"And that is a threat to this country," Biden said.
"MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards. Backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love. They promote authoritarian leaders. They fanned the flames of political violence," Biden said.
In his 25-minute speech, Biden repeatedly called out Trump, who is still questioning the outcome of the 2020 election.
"History tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and a willingness to engage in political violence is fatal to democracy," he said.
He said he was not condemning all 74 million Americans who voted for Trump in 2020. "Not every Republican, not even a majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans," he said.
Alleging that MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution, Biden called them "insurrectionists and election deniers" who "embrace anger and thrive on chaos".
MAGA Republicans are a "clear and present danger to our democracy," he alleged. They live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies, Biden said.