Key takeaways
That’s all from us tonight.
Joe Biden spoke for just over 20 minutes tonight, offering a rare primetime address that forecasted the midterm elections as a battle for the nation’s soul. In what very much came across as a campaign speech, the president stuck a dark, stern tone – building on a new, more direct approach he’s recently taken in attacking Donald Trump and his allies.
Here are some key takeaways:
Speaking in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall – where the Declaration of Independence and the US constitution were signed – back lit in red, white and blue, and played on and off by the Marine band playing anthems from the 1800s – the night really played up patriotism. “America is an idea,” he said at one point, flanked by Marines at parade rest. “The most powerful idea in the history of the world.” Throughout his address, Biden evoked the founding ideals of the country, and aligned himself with them – casting Trump and extremist Republicans as an existential threat to the nation. “I know your hearts. And I know our history,” he said, addressing the “American people”. “This is a nation that honors our constitution,” he said.
The president issued stern warnings that the integrity of American elections was vulnerable. Condemning Trump and other Republicans who have denied the legitimacy of the 2020 elections – and have threatened to do so in the midterms, Biden asked Americans to join him in resisting election misinformation and the rollback of voting rights. “We can’t let the integrity of our elections be undermined,” he said. “We can’t allow violence to be normalized in this country,” he added, referencing the January 6 insurrection.
Biden – who usually makes couched references to “the former guy” and his “predecessor” – explicitly named and called out Donald Trump tonight. Trump and the “Maga (Make America great again)” Republicans “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic”, Biden said. Hedging that “not every Republican” is an extremist, he added: “There’s no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump.” The president even made reference to the commotion surrounding the Justice Department’s discovery that Trump was holding on to classified documents – something he’s largely avoided discussing. Biden’s directness tonight was a culmination of a new, aggressive approach he’s taken recently in aiming to marginalize Trump’s agenda.
Biden also touted his and Democrats’ policy goals, urging Americans to “vote, vote, vote”. The speech tonight was presented as an official address – but it also very much came off as a campaign appeal. During a jarringly optimistic segment in an otherwise dark speech, Biden touted reforming healthcare, combatting climate change and addressing the Covid-19 pandemic. “I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future,” he said. “We’re going to end cancer as we know it. We’re going to create millions of new jobs in the clean energy economy. We’re going to think big, we’re going to make the 21st century another American century.”
Biden may have missed an opportunity to highlight outrage over the supreme court’s decision to revoke the constitutional right to abortion. The issue energized Democrats ahead of the midterm, and abortion rights advocates have expressed frustration at Biden and other Democrats for not speaking more directly and forcefully about it. Biden did mention that “Maga Republicans” want to take the country “backwards to an America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception.” But he lost a chance to play the issue up as an urgent example of rights at stake.
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The scenes from tonight’s speech
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