Biden decries Trump backers’ ‘dagger at throat’ of democracy

By MARY CLARE JALONICK, LISA MASCARO and ZEKE MILLER

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden connected Thursday forcefully condemned Donald Trump’s relentless election-overturning efforts that sparked the deadly breach of the Capitol by his supporters and continues to motivate heavy nationalist division. He marked the day by saying the rioters had held a “dagger astatine the pharynx of democracy” but failed to succeed.

Biden’s disapproval was blistering of the defeated president whom helium blamed for the onslaught that has fundamentally changed Congress and the nation, and raised planetary concerns astir the aboriginal of American democracy.

“For the archetypal clip successful our history, a president not conscionable mislaid an election, helium tried to forestall the peaceful transportation of powerfulness arsenic a convulsive mob breached the Capitol,” Biden said. “You can’t emotion your state lone erstwhile you win.”

His dependable booming astatine times, filling the ornate Statuary Hall wherever rioters had laid siege, the president called connected Americans to retrieve what they saw Jan. 6 with their ain eyes: the mob attacking police, breaking windows, a Confederate emblem wrong the Capitol, gallows erected extracurricular threatening to bent the vice president — each portion Trump sat astatine the White House watching it connected TV.

“The erstwhile president’s supporters are trying to rewrite history. They privation you to spot Election Day arsenic the time of insurrection and the riot that took spot present connected January 6 arsenic a existent look of the volition of the people. Can you deliberation of a much twisted mode to look astatine this country, to look astatine America? I cannot.”

The president’s remarks launched the commencement of daylong remembrance, drafting a opposition betwixt the information of what happened and the mendacious narratives that persist astir the Capitol assault, including the continued refusal by galore Republicans to affirm that Biden won the 2020 election.

“We indispensable beryllium perfectly wide astir what is existent and what is simply a lie,” helium said. “The erstwhile president of the United States of America has dispersed a web of lies astir the 2020 election.”

He said: “We are successful a conflict for the psyche of America.”

“I did not question this fight, brought to this Capitol 1 twelvemonth from today. But I volition not shrink from it either. I volition basal successful this breach, I volition support this nation. I volition let nary 1 to spot a dagger astatine the pharynx of this democracy.”

Republican leaders and lawmakers are mostly staying distant from the day’s remembrance events, viewing them arsenic overly politicized.

From Florida, Trump dashed disconnected a connection claiming Biden was trying to “further disagreement America. This governmental theatre is each conscionable a distraction.”

Even among legislature Republicans who condemned the onslaught successful the days afterward, astir person stayed loyal to the erstwhile president.

“What brazen politicization of January 6 by President Biden,” tweeted Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a sometimes Trump confidant. Others, including Senate Republican person Mitch McConnell, were absent, with a contingent attending the ceremonial for a erstwhile workfellow Sen. Johnny Isakson successful Georgia.

The part is simply a stark reminder of the rupture betwixt the 2 parties, worsening since hundreds of Trump’s supporters violently pushed past police, utilized their fists and flagpoles to interruption done the windows of the Capitol and interrupted the certification of Biden’s victory.

Rep. Liz Cheney, seat of the House committee investigating the onslaught and 1 of the fewer GOP lawmakers attending the Capitol ceremonies, warned that “the menace continues.” Trump, she said, “continues to marque the aforesaid claims that helium knows caused unit connected January 6.”

“Unfortunately, excessively galore successful my ain enactment are embracing the erstwhile president, are looking the different mode oregon minimizing the danger,” she told NBC’s “Today.” “That’s however democracies die. We simply cannot fto that happen.”

In a bid to pass the public, Democrats investigating the insurrection program to walk the coming months telling the American radical precisely what happened past Jan. 6. But leaders volition walk the day appealing to broader patriotic instincts.

Biden and his medication person travel nether disapproval from immoderate successful his enactment for not forcibly explaining to Americans the ways ideology is astatine risk, oregon pushing Congress hard capable to walk predetermination and voting rights authorities that is stalled by a filibuster successful the Senate.

Barack Obama, the erstwhile president, said “nothing is much important” connected the day than ensuring the close to vote.

“While the breached windows person been repaired and galore of the rioters person been brought to justice, the information is that our ideology is astatine greater hazard contiguous than it was backmost then,” Obama said successful a statement.

Biden’s address, and that of Vice President Kamala Harris who is starring the administration’s efforts connected the voting and elections legislation, appeared arsenic a nonstop effect to critics.

“We indispensable walk voting rights bills,” said Harris, addressing those gathered. “We cannot beryllium connected the sidelines. We indispensable unite successful defence of our democracy.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, too, is marking the day with a high-minded appeal, telling The Associated Press successful an interrogation Wednesday that “democracy won that night,” erstwhile Congress returned to the Capitol aft the riot and affirmed Biden’s victory.

To grant the anniversary, Pelosi has scheduled a infinitesimal of soundlessness successful the House, wherever galore members were evacuated and immoderate were trapped arsenic the rioters tried to interruption in. She volition besides present backstage remarks to Hill unit who, arsenic she told AP, stayed to “protect our democracy.”

Later the Democratic leaders volition clasp a moderated treatment with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham; and a league featuring testimonials from members who were determination that day. While galore lawmakers volition beryllium absent owed to concerns astir COVID-19, respective of the events volition beryllium livestreamed truthful they tin participate. The Senate besides marked the time with a infinitesimal of soundlessness and planned speeches.

Biden’s crisp connection and the Republicans’ region from it travel arsenic lawmakers are adjusting to the caller mean connected Capitol Hill — the increasing tensions that galore interest volition effect successful much unit or, someday, a morganatic predetermination being overturned. Democrats and a fistful of Republicans consciousness a hopeless urgency to link to a nationalist successful which immoderate person travel to judge Trump’s lies that the predetermination was stolen from him and that the onslaught wasn’t convulsive astatine all.

A caller canvass from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that 3 successful 10 Republicans accidental the onslaught was not violent, and astir different 3 successful 10 accidental it was somewhat violent. Around two-thirds of Americans described the time arsenic precise oregon highly violent, including astir 9 successful 10 Democrats.

As Biden is prepared to nonstop blasted toward the erstwhile president, the percent of Americans who blasted Trump for the Jan. 6 riot has grown somewhat implicit the past year, with 57% saying helium bears important work for what took place.

In an AP-NORC canvass taken successful the days aft the attack, 50% said that.

Trump’s claims of wide predetermination fraud were rejected by the courts and refuted by his ain Justice Department.

An probe by the AP recovered less than 475 cases of elector fraud among 25.5 cardinal ballots formed successful the six battleground states disputed by Trump, a minuscule fig successful percent terms.

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Associated Press writers Alexandra Jaffe and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.