In his inaugural campaign speech of the new year, President Joe Biden addressed the nation near Valley Forge, Pa., marking the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Doubling down on his rebuke of former President Donald Trump and the rioters, Biden posed a critical question: “Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?”
The President contrasted his campaign with Trump’s, emphasizing that Trump’s focus is on himself and the past, while Biden’s campaign centers around America, its people, and building a shared future. Reflecting on the events of Jan. 6, Biden called Trump’s incitement of the Capitol rioters “among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history.”
Biden stated, “Trump exhausted every legal avenue to overturn the election, but the legal path just took Trump back to the truth: that I’d won the election, and he was a loser. Knowing how his mind works now, he had one act left: the violence of Jan. 6.”
Highlighting the aftermath of the Capitol attack, Biden mentioned that over 1,200 people were charged, and nearly 900 pleaded guilty, collectively receiving sentences totaling more than 840 years in prison. He cautioned that Trump plans to pardon those charged in the Jan. 6 riots if he returns to office.
The chosen venue of Valley Forge held symbolic significance, linking Biden’s efforts to “heal the soul of the nation” with George Washington’s resilience during the American Revolution. Biden drew inspiration from Washington’s spirit, quoting his general order that predicted overcoming difficulties “with one heart, one mind, with fortitude and with patience.”
Recalling his 2021 inauguration speech, Biden acknowledged the challenges faced by American democracy, expressing pride that it had held together. Originally scheduled for the exact anniversary, a winter storm prompted the campaign to move the speech forward.
As the 2024 primary season looms, the Biden campaign aims to confront Trump, who remains a frontrunner. Biden’s communications director, Michael Tyler, warned of Trump’s potential to “systematically dismantle and destroy our democracy” and emphasized the ongoing threat.