Former President Donald Trump on Thursday blasted President Biden’s claims that he is a threat to democracy, dismissing his successor’s Jan. 6 speech at the U.S. Capitol as “a distraction” from his handling of the issues facing America.
Mr. Trump issued three separate statements lashing out at Mr. Biden. He called the speech “political theater” and said Mr. Biden “used my name to further divide America.”
“The Democrats want to own this day of January 6th so they can stoke fears and divide America,” Mr. Trump said. “I say let them have it, because America sees through their lies and polarizations.”
In a speech to mark the anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, Mr. Biden tore into his predecessor, accusing him of spreading “a web of lies” and of putting his ego ahead of democracy.
“The former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He has done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interest as more important than his country’s interest, America’s interest, and because his bruised ego means more to him than our democracy and our Constitution,” Mr. Biden said.
Mr. Biden did not mention Mr. Trump by name, referring to him as “a former president” and on one occasion “a defeated former president.” He also called out Trump supporters for repeating his unverified claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
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In a third statement, issued hours after Mr. Biden concluded his speech, Mr. Trump repeated his claims of election fraud that helped fuel the Jan. 6 riot.
“America is a laughingstock stock of the world, and it’s all because of the real insurrection, which took place on November 3rd, but this is an election year and MAGA Republicans should get elected and work with me to fix this horror that Joe Biden and the Democrats have brought us,” he said.
Mr. Trump ticking off a litany of complaints about Mr. Biden’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, the border and the bungled military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He also repeated his assertions that widespread voter fraud cost him the 2020 election, saying the committee that is investigating the causes of the Jan. 6 riot should also investigate allegations of election malfeasance.
“Why is it that the Unselect Committee of totally partisan political hacks, whose judgment has long ago been made, not discussing the rigged Presidential Election of 2020? It’s because they don’t have the answers or justifications for what happened. They got away with something, and it is leading to our country’s destruction,” Mr. Trump said.
“They want all conversation concerning the Election ‘Canceled.’ Just look at the numbers, they speak for themselves. They are not justifiable, so the complicit media just calls it the Big Lie, when in actuality the Big Lie was the Election itself,” he said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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