President Joe Biden took a jab at former President Donald Trump during three campaign events in South Carolina, targeting various democracy-related issues. The events included the South Carolina Democratic Party’s “First-in-the-Nation” dinner and speeches at two churches, St. John the Baptist Church and Brookland Baptist Church in Columbia.
In his address at Brookland Baptist, Biden ridiculed Trump’s legal team’s argument that the Constitution might allow a president to order the assassination of a political opponent. He humorously referenced the stunning appeals court exchange where Trump’s attorney proposed that such an act wouldn’t lead to prosecution unless the president was impeached and convicted first.
Biden expressed his concern about adhering to democratic principles and not undermining the Constitution, accusing his political opponent of openly advocating for tearing it apart. He playfully mocked Trump’s suggestion that a president could use special forces to kill someone deemed problematic, adding a humorous anecdote about seeking forgiveness in church for such a notion.
However, Biden shifted to a more serious tone, emphasizing the stakes at hand and the importance of dignity and respect in the democratic process. He invoked biblical teachings about knowing the truth and how it sets people free, asserting that the truth is known and highlighting the stark choices facing the nation.
Biden then delved into the unique nature of the United States, describing it as the only nation founded on an idea contained in the Constitution. He referenced the foundational principle that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights, acknowledging that the nation hasn’t fully lived up to this ideal but has consistently moved closer to it with each generation
BUT IT’S ONLY OKAY IF OUR SYSTEM IS ADHERED TO; IF WE ABIDE BY OUR DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES; IF WE, IN FACT, DON’T TRY TO UNDERMINE THE VERY CONSTITUTION. AND THE FELLOW I’M RUNNING AGAINST HAS — HAS MADE NO BONES ABOUT IT: HE THINKS WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RIP IT APART — NOT — NOT A JOKE. HE TALKED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO EVEN IGNORE THE CONSTITUTION.
BY THE WAY, I LOVE HIS ONE THING THAT HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE HIS SPECIAL FORCES TO KILL SOMEBODY IF HE THOUGHT IT WAS A PROBLEM. (LAUGHTER.) IN MY CHURCH, WE SAY, “BLESS ME, FATHER, FOR I HAVE SINNED.” (THE PRESIDENT MAKES THE SIGN OF THE CROSS.) WHAT THE — (LAUGHTER).
BUT ALL KIDDING ASIDE, THERE’S A GREAT DEAL AT STAKE. I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF YOUR TIME. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT WE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET US FREE. WELL, I THINK WE DO KNOW THE TRUTH. WE DO KNOW THE TRUTH. WE DO KNOW WHAT THE CHOICE IS HERE. IT’S PRETTY STARK. AND IT’S ABOUT DIGNITY, RESPECT; IT’S ABOUT WHETHER WE BELIEVE —
YOU KNOW, WE’RE THE — I’LL GET RIGHT TO IT. WE’RE THE MOST UNIQUE NATION IN THE WORLD. NOW, EVERYBODY SAYS THOSE KINDS OF THINGS ABOUT THEIR COUNTRY, BUT EVERY OTHER COUNTRY IS ORGANIZED BASED ON ETHNICITY, BASED ON GEOGRAPHY, BASED ON RELIGION. BUT WE’RE THE ONLY NATION IN THE WORLD BASED ON AN IDEA — LITERALLY, AN IDEA — AN IDEA CONTAINED IN OUR CONSTITUTION THAT SAYS, “WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS” — LIFE, LIBERTY, ET CETERA
WE’VE NEVER FULLY LIVED UP TO IT, BUT WE’VE NEVER WALKED AWAY FROM IT. EVERY GENERATION, WE GET CLOSER; UNTIL NOW, IT’S AT STAKE. IT LITERALLY IS AT STAKE
Concluding his remarks, Biden emphasized that the idea and principles of the Constitution were at stake in the current political landscape. He asserted that the nation, despite its imperfections, has never walked away from its founding principles and that every generation has strived to come closer to realizing the vision outlined in the Constitution. The President stressed the urgency of the present moment and the need to safeguard the foundational principles that define the United States.
