Joe Biden, as US president, likes to stand above the fray, conscious of the dignity of his office and the awesome power he wields. Joe Biden, as Democratic party presidential candidate, running for a second term and determined to prove the doubters wrong, is happy to wade right in. It was this second, combative incarnation that was on display at George Washington’s war of independence base in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, on Friday. Biden came out punching.
His target was Donald Trump, the almost certain Republican choice to challenge him in November’s election. His theme was the threat that the former president, who continues to falsely claim that he won the 2020 contest, poses to the post-independence democratic tradition. “Today we’re here to answer the most important of questions: is democracy still America’s sacred cause?” Biden said. “America, as we begin this election year, we must be clear: democracy is on the ballot.”
