Photo: Alamy
Joe Biden has rapidly backtracked on comments he made during an angry, politically-charged speech delivered in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Biden told Fox News’ Peter Doocy on Friday that he did not “consider any Trump supporter to be a threat.”
“I don’t consider any Trump supporter to be a threat,” Biden stated. “I do think anyone who calls for the use of violence and refuses to acknowledge an election has been won…That is a threat to democracy.”
According to a report from Fox News, Biden’s comments on Friday were in direct contrast to his heated statements made on Thursday night: “There’s no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans. And that is a threat to this country.”
Additionally, Biden railed against President Trump and “MAGA Republicans” for representing “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic.”
Biden further referred to the MAGA movement as an “extreme ideology.” Per Fox News, he repositioned his stance a bit on Friday by zeroing in on Republicans who questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, fumbling his words slightly by claiming that there was a “failure to condemn the manipulation [of] election outcomes.”
Americans were taken aback on Thursday night by the blood-red and abysmal black colors bathing Independence Hall, which strengthened the overall tone of Biden’s angry rhetoric. In fact, the presence of two U.S. Marines stationed behind Biden during the speech drew the attention and criticism of some viewers who wondered why service members were deliberately made visible behind Biden during such an aggressive address.
The blowback caused by the Marines’ presence forced White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to address the issue on Friday during a press conference. “The presence of the Marines at the speech was intended to demonstrate the deep and abiding respect [he] has for these service members…,” she claimed.
Further, Jean-Pierre touted Thursday’s speech as apolitical, despite the repeated statements on Biden’s part attacking both President Donald Trump and the millions of people who voted for him. “We don’t call any of that political,” Jean-Pierre said. “We see that as leadership.”
