President Joe Biden asserted in an interview aired Tuesday on the primary US Spanish-language TV network that his Republican opponent, Donald Trump, poses a paramount danger to American democracy.
Queried by Univision while seated in the iconic Oval Office about the chief menace to liberty and democracy domestically, Biden promptly singled out “Donald Trump. Without a doubt.”
Biden pointedly highlighted Trump’s backing of the mob that breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021, unleashing “chaos and disorder” in a bid to overturn Biden’s victory from two months prior.
Trump is highlighting praise for what he characterizes as the January 6 “patriots” as a focal point of his ongoing election campaign, declaring that if he emerges victorious in November, he will issue pardons to the hundreds of individuals convicted and serving prison terms for offenses such as attacking police officers and participating in seditious activities.
Biden made reference to congressional testimony suggesting that Trump had watched the riot for numerous hours on live television from the White House, without making any attempts to intervene.
“The idea that he would sit in the office… and watch for hours the attack on the Capitol,” Biden said, adding that Trump “uses phrases like you’re gonna… eviscerate the Constitution (and) he’s going to be a dictator on day one.”
“I can’t think of any other time, in my lifetime, in history that’s occurred, that you’ve had somebody who’s had this kind of attitude,” Biden said.
Trump describes the United States as “failing” and suffering an invasion of violent immigrants, saying that only his return to the White House can save the country.
Initially criticized by Republicans for his role in the Capitol assault and his reluctance to acknowledge the 2020 election outcome, Trump has rebounded to assert considerable control over his party once again, setting the stage for a closely contested race against Biden according to recent polls.
Biden’s appearance in the Univision interview was a rare occasion, considering his limited engagement with journalists in the one-on-one format compared to past presidents.
Biden and Trump are focusing their attention on the Hispanic voting bloc for the November election, recognizing its importance, with Univision, the leading Hispanic media company in the United States, serving as a key platform for reaching this demographic.