President Joe Biden appears to be trying to soften his attacks on so-called “MAGA Republicans.”
The day after claiming that Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump — dubbed “MAGA Republicans” — represent “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” Biden insists he does not view Trump supporters as a threat.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked on Friday, “Do you consider all Trump supporters to be a threat to the country?”
“You keep trying to make that case. I don’t consider any Trump supporters a threat to the country,” Biden responded.
He continued, “I do think anyone who calls for the use of violence, fails to condemn violence when it’s used, refuses to acknowledge an election that has been won, insists upon changing the way you count votes, that is a threat to democracy. Democracy. Everything we stand for. Everything we stand for rest upon the platform of democracy.”
The president also stated, “When people voted for Donald Trump, and still support him now, they weren’t voting for the attack on the Capitol. They weren’t voting for overruling an election. They were voting for the philosophy he put forward.”
Finally, Biden claimed he was only speaking about a “failure to recognize and condemn violence when it’s used for political purposes, failure to condemn… attempts to manipulate an electoral outcome, failure to acknowledge when elections are won or lost.”
Watch the video below:
Doocy: "Do you consider all Trump supporters to be a threat to the country?"
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) September 2, 2022
Biden: "I don't consider any Trump supporter a threat to the country." pic.twitter.com/QB7f3XVG7z
That is much softer language than Biden has used over the past week.
Earlier this month, Biden blasted the “extreme MAGA philosophy,” which he claimed was “like semi-fascism.” He also stated that there are not “many real Republicans anymore.”
“The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security. They’re a threat to our very democracy. They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace political violence. They don’t believe in democracy,” he added.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre meanwhile labeled “MAGA Republicans” an “extreme threat to our democracy” who are “pursuing an agenda that takes away people’s rights.”
That goes further than just talking about not condemning violence or accepting the results of an election.
And during a speech on Thursday night, Biden claimed, “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.” He did appear to try to soften his rhetoric as well by stating that “not even the majority of Republicans are MAGA Republicans.”
But at the same time, he claimed the Republican Party is “dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans. And that is a threat to this country.”
“They look at the mob that stormed the United States Capitol on January 6th — brutally attacking law enforcement — not as insurrectionists who placed a dagger to the throat of our democracy, but they look at them as patriots,” Biden added.
It is unclear what Biden thinks a “MAGA Republican” is if not a supporter of Trump.
If you’re confused about how there are “not many real Republicans anymore,” but not a majority of Republicans are “MAGA Republicans,” but Trump and “MAGA Republicans” dominate and drive the party, you’re not alone.
Biden should have said what he told reporters this morning in his big, scripted speech if that’s what he meant. But he didn’t, and that should tell us all we need to know about what he really meant.
