Biden attacks Trump and MAGA Republicans as threat to American democracy

President Joe Biden, in a rare prime-time speech, condemned Donald Trump and his "MAGA Republicans" as he urged the nation to unite against threats to American democracy.

Biden took the stage shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday at Independence Historical Park in Philadelphia, where several hundred people were sitting in white lawn chairs and Independence Hall's facade was lit up in red and blue.

"This is where the United States Constitution was written and debated," Biden said. "This is where we set in motion the most extraordinary experiment of self government the world has ever known."

"But as I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under assault," he continued. "We do ourselves no favor to pretend otherwise. So, tonight, I've come to this place where it all began, to speak as plainly as I can to the nation about the threats we face, about the power we have in our hands to meet these threats and about the incredible future that lies in front of us if only we choose it."

President Joe Biden speaks about the soul of the nation, outside of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Sept. 1, 2022. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The president mentioned his Oval Office predecessor by name as he assailed Republicans who refuse to accept the 2020 election results, defend those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 or want to strip away abortion rights and other privacy concerns.

"Too much of what's happening in our country today is not normal," he said. "Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic."

Biden made a distinction between the so-called MAGA Republicans and other conservatives, stating "not every Republican embraces that extreme ideology."

"I know, because I've been able to work with these mainstream Republicans," he said. "But 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."

Biden's urgent rhetoric mirrors his 2020 messaging, in which he presented himself as a clear contrast to Trump and the race itself as an inflection point for the nation.

He made that comparison again Thursday, telling the crowd: "Now America must choose to move forward or to move backward, to build a future obsessed about the past, to be a nation of hope, unity, and optimism or a nation of fear, division and of darkness."

Administration officials had teased Biden's speech as an extension of his "soul of the nation" message, which first emerged in 2017 after white supremacists clashed with counter protesters in Charlottesville, West Virginia -- the incident Biden said inspired him to run for president.

Biden on Thursday said all Americans are called by "duty and conscience to confront extremists" and to reject political violence.

"We are still at our core a democracy, and yet, history tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and a willingness to engage in political violence is fatal to democracy," he said.

President Joe Biden speaks outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Sept. 1, 2022.

Matt Slocum/AP

Biden's appearance in Philadelphia is his second of three stops in the battleground state of Pennsylvania this week alone.

At Wilkes University, where made the case Tuesday for his administration's plan for policing and crime prevention, Biden went after MAGA Republicans for their response to the Jan. 6 attack and the FBI search at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

"For God's sake, whose side are you on? Whose side are you on?" a fired-up Biden asked.

The GOP issued a preemptive rebuttal of Biden's remarks, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaking in Scranton (Biden's hometown) just hours before the president took the stage in Philadelphia.

McCarthy criticized Democrats on inflation, crime and the border before demanding Biden "apologize for slandering tens of millions of Americans as fascists" after the president previously described the ideology being adopted by MAGA Republicans as "semi-facism."

"What Joe Biden doesn't understand is that the soul of America is the tens of millions of hard working people, loving families, and law-abiding citizens whom he vilified for simply wanting a stronger, safer, and more prosperous country," McCarthy said.

"The soul of America is not the ruling class in Washington, it is the law-abiding, tax-paying American citizen," McCarthy said. "The soul of America is our determination to get up and go to work everyday, provide for our families, to love our children, be involved in their education and ensure that this nation and its people always come first."

- ABC News' Justin Gomez, Mary Bruce, Sarah Kolinovsky and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.

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Congressional Republicans call Garland's remarks on Mar-a-Lago search insufficient

Congressional Republicans were quick to pan Merrick Garland's Thursday remarks on the FBI search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago -- calling the attorney general's comments insufficient and insisting the Justice Department release more information behind the unprecedented raid even as Garland said he wants the search warrant unsealed.

But GOP lawmakers said the Justice Department's motion to unseal parts of the warrant would not cut it, demanding that more information behind the search's genesis was needed given the gravity of the operation at a former president's home.

Sources previously told ABC News it was in connection to documents that Trump took with him when he departed Washington, including some records the National Archives said were marked classified.

"The primary reason the Attorney General and FBI are being pushed to disclose why the search was necessary is because of the deep mistrust of the FBI and DOJ when it comes to all things Trump," tweeted South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally.

"What I am looking for is the predicate for the search. Was the information provided to the judge sufficient and necessary to authorize a raid on the former president’s home within ninety days of the midterm election?" Graham wrote. "I am urging, actually insisting, the DOJ and the FBI lay their cards on the table as to why this course of action was necessary. Until that is done the suspicion will continue to mount."

Other Republicans directly criticized Garland, who said at a brief press conference that he signed off on the search warrant for Trump's residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

"Merrick Garland personally approved a search warrant to take down Joe Biden’s top political opponent. This is a politically-motivated witch hunt," tweeted Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.

"The FBI and DOJ became politicized under Obama and this has continued under Biden. The FBI has become an attack dog to help the Democrats achieve their own political ambitions and silence dissenters," added Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene went even further.

"We must defund the FBI, dismantle the DOJ, and gut the agencies of political biases and persecutions," she tweeted.

Meanwhile Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, perhaps the most visible anti-Trump Republican, wrote on Twitter: "I have been ashamed to hear members of my party attacking the integrity of the FBI agents involved with the recent Mar-a-Lago search. These are sickening comments that put the lives of patriotic public servants at risk."

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 11, 2022.

ABC News

The reaction comes after days of GOP demands for Garland to release the warrant and explain the rationale behind the search.

Garland on Thursday said authorities acted by the book -- and he indicated that carrying out his duties required seeking the warrant.

"Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy. Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly without fear or favor," he said. "Under my watch, that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing."

“The search warrant was authorized by a federal court upon the required finding of probable cause,” he said. A court filing from the Justice Department shows it was signed by a judge on Friday.

Included in the government's new motion to unseal parts of the warrant is a request to also unseal a redacted inventory of what was taken by agents at Mar-a-Lago.

Prosecutors wrote that Trump "should have an opportunity to respond to this Motion and lodge objections, including with regards to any 'legitimate privacy interests' or the potential for other 'injury' if these materials are made public."

The judge in the case later ordered the government to consult with Trump's attorneys and report back by Friday afternoon as to whether the former president would issue any objections.

People close to Trump have been discussing the possibility of challenging the motion to unseal the warrant, according to sources familiar with his thinking.

Lawyers who are said to be representing him in this matter are not responding to requests for comment.

Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing for the warrant's release, suggesting the Justice Department's motion shows there was no wrongdoing in the search.

"A reminder: Trump could have released this paper at any time. He refused," New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler tweeted. "And now DOJ wants you to see it. AG Garland seems to have nothing to hide."

ABC News' Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.

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Republicans dub FBI raid on Trump house 'weaponised politicisation'

Donald Trump and his allies seek to cast recent FBI search of his Florida residence as Democratic-driven effort to keep him from winning another term in 2024.

Trump supporters gather near his residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida to condemn the FBI raid on his palatial residence. (AFP)

Top Republican leaders have thrown their support behind former US president Donald Trump after an extraordinary FBI raid on his palatial Florida residence sparked a political firestorm in an already bitterly divided country.

"Nothing like this has ever happened to a president of the United States before," Trump said on Tuesday of the FBI operation at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach. "They even broke into my safe!"

Trump denounced the raid as a "weaponisation of the Justice System" by "Radical Left Democrats who desperately don't want me to run for President in 2024."

Several former advisors to the 76-year-old Trump urged him to immediately confirm that he would be a presidential candidate in 2024.

The unprecedented FBI search marked a significant escalation of the federal investigation into whether Trump illegally removed records from the White House as he was leaving office in January 2021.

READ MORE: Explainer: Why is Trump facing a presidential records probe?

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwIdKH3ijaU[/embed]

'Banana republic tactics'

Trump's former vice president Mike Pence, a potential 2024 rival, expressed "deep concern" and said the raid smacked of "partisanship" by the Justice Department.

Kevin McCarthy, who is seeking to become speaker of the House of Representatives if Republicans win November's midterm elections, accused the Justice Department of "weaponised politicisation."

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said "launching an investigation of a former president this close to an election is beyond problematic."

Republican Congressman Scott Perry –– a Trump ally –– said that FBI agents confiscated his cell phone, but did not specify why it was taken.

"This morning, while travelling with my family, three FBI agents visited me and seized my cell phone," Perry told FOX News, condemning "these kinds of banana republic tactics."

Representative Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking House Republican, called it a "dark day in American history."

"If the FBI can raid a US president, imagine what they can do to you," Stefanik tweeted, to which Democratic Representative Ted Lieu replied: "Why can't the FBI investigate a US president? We're not Russia, where the law doesn't apply to the head of state and his cronies."

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "no person is above the law."

The FBI's raid on President Trump is a dark day in American history.

My full statement 👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/XGJiV28GEi

— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) August 9, 2022

Trump's former communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin told CNN the raid could fire up his supporters, a small number of whom rallied outside Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.

"If it's seen as some sort of massive overreach and not something incredibly serious, this is a very good day for Donald Trump," Farah Griffin said.

For weeks, Washington has been riveted by hearings in Congress about the January 6 storming of the Capitol and Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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Republicans, Democrats react to Rep. Walorski's tragic car crash death: 'Just the worst news'

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Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle shared their condolences after the tragic deaths of Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., her district director, and her communications director.

Walorski, 58, and her staffers, communications director Emma Thompson, 28, and district director Zachary Potts, 27, were all killed in a Wednesday head-on collision in Elkhart County, Indiana.

"It is with a heavy heart that I am sharing this statement from the Office of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., wrote on Twitter.

INDIANA GOP CONGRESSWOMAN JACKIE WALORSKI KILLED IN CAR CRASH

"Dean Swihart, Jackie’s husband, was just informed by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s office was killed in a car accident this afternoon," the statement from Walorski’s office shared by McCarthy read. "She has returned home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please keep your family in her thoughts and prayers. We will have no further comment at this time."

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., said he was devastated "to hear the horrible news of the passing of Jackie Walorski and her two staffers."

"She was a dear friend who loved serving the people of Indiana in Congress," Scalise wrote. "My prayers are with her loving husband Dean, the rest of her family, and the families of the two staffers."

Prominent Democrats also shared their condolences following the deaths of Walorski and her two staffers, including Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who said the news of the deaths was "the worst news."

"Just the worst news. Rest In Peace Jackie, a 2012 classmate, and her loyal staff Zachary r[and] Emma," Swalwell wrote. "Our office is praying for the families of Rep. Walorski, Zachary Potts, and Emma Thomson."

"I'm shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote. "My thoughts and prayers are with her family and the other victims of this terrible crash."

The news of the deaths saw an outpouring of thoughts, prayers, and condolences from Walorski’s colleagues in Congress and beyond, across the political spectrum.

Walorski represented Indiana’s 2nd District since 2013 and was known as a bridge-building moderate.

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"On August 3, 2022 at approximately 12:32 PM the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office responded to a two vehicle crash on SR 19 south of SR 119," the sheriff's office told Fox News Digital.

"A northbound passenger car traveled left of center and collided head on with a southbound sports utility vehicle. All three occupants in the southbound vehicle died as a result of their injuries: Jackie Walorski, 58, Elkhart, Indiana Zachery Potts, 27, Mishawaka, Indiana Emma Thomson, 28, Washington, DC The sole occupant of the northbound vehicle, Edith Schmucker, 56, Nappanee, Indiana was pronounced deceased at the scen," the office continued. "The Elkhart County Coroner’s Office and the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office are conducting the investigation. No additional information will be released at this time."

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed reporting.

Houston Keene is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital.  Story tips can be sent to Houston.Keene@Fox.com and on Twitter: @HoustonKeene 

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MSNBC's Claire McCaskill: Republicans want 'dogs sniffing women at airports' to stop out-of-state abortions

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MSNBC analyst Claire McCaskill attacked Republicans supporting "extreme" bans on abortion while appearing on "Chris Jansing Reports" on Tuesday.

The former Missouri senator rebuked recent efforts from the GOP in certain states enacting abortion bans following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June. With her state enacting strict abortion laws and several states' primary elections underway, McCaskill suggested that this could be a turning point for voting.

"This is different. And I do think, the phrase keeps being used, but it’s apt, I think the dog caught the car. And now it’s kind of flipped, the motivation, the anger, the disappointment, especially when states like Missouri do such extreme laws. I mean, this is a tough subject. Reasonable people can disagree about parts of the issue of legal abortions," McCaskill said.

Although she claimed "reasonable" people can disagree about abortion, she accused Republicans of wanting to criminalize women and people who help them obtain abortions out of state.

Claire McCaskill became an MSNBC analyst after losing her U.S. Senate seat in Missouri to Josh Hawley. (Getty Images)

NY TIMES GUEST ESSAY ARGUES MISCARRIAGES AND ABORTIONS HAVE ‘MORE IN COMMON’ THAN PEOPLE THINK’ 

"But most Missourians, most Kansans, most Americans want rape victims to be able to terminate a pregnancy. They don’t want dogs sniffing women at airports to see if they are traveling to have an abortion. They don’t want civil posses out looking to find people who have enabled someone to get a safe and legal abortion and take after them in court. This is the kind of stuff that Republicans are doing now," McCaskill said.

Kansas is holding a referendum on an amendment to the state constitution that would deny the right to an abortion Tuesday.

Further on, McCaskill claimed that the abortion issue could help Democrats not only win in Kansas but hold onto power in the November midterm elections.

Abortion-rights protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases.  ((AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana))

"They are going to such an extreme, I think it is really going to help the Democrats not only today, but also in November, in terms of holding on to power in Washington, D.C. I could be wrong, but when the Catholic Church puts a million dollars, the Catholic Church put a million dollars in this campaign in Kansas, in a state where there are all kinds of needs for the poor, I think that causes a lot of head-scratching," she said.

MSNBC SOUNDS ALARM ON HISPANICS FLEEING DEMOCRATIC PARTY: ‘WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?’ 

McCaskill previously criticized the Texas Heartbeat Act in 2021 that banned abortions after six weeks, when a fetal heartbeat can be detected. While it did not overturn Roe v. Wade at the time, it was considered by some to be "a workaround" since the Supreme Court rejected efforts to stop its implementation.

Former Sen. Claire McCaskill has frequently defended President Joe Biden during his administration. ((AP Photo/Jeff Roberson))

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"It shouldn't be a tip of the hat. It should be condemnation. That they are trying to take 50 years of Supreme Court precedent and throw it out by creating a private police that can invade women's life at the most personal, private and difficult moment they ever face," McCaskill commented at the time.

Fox News’ Cortney O’Brien contributed to this report.

Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.

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Republicans join Democrats in praising Biden for death of al Qaeda leader Zawahiri

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Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle praised the White House on Monday after it was announced that the leader of al Qaeda, Ayman al Zawahiri, had been killed by a drone strike in Afghanistan. 

Republicans and Democrats, alike, were quick to commend President Biden for taking action against the 71-year-old terrorist. Zawahiri, a one-time surgeon, had led al-Qaeda since the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden. 

BIDEN ADMIN WARNED NOT TO WITHHOLD AFTER-ACTION REPORTS ON BOTCHED AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL

"Congratulations to the Biden Administration and all those brave Americans involved in the successful counterterrorism operation against al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "This is a significant event in the War on Terror. All those involved have delivered a strong message that America never forgets." 

FILE - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during a news conference outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, April 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Zawahiri, who helped plan the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was killed on Saturday by a drone strike in Kabul. 

"The news of the successful hit on Ayman al-Zawahiri stopped me in my tracks," said Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. "Targeting one senior leader does not end the capacity of an organization to attack, but it does send a message that, while it may take years, we do not forget those who attack us. I commend the President for making the tough call and the national security team for this success.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, echoed the sentiment in a statement released to the public. 

"All Americans will breathe easier today knowing Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, has been eliminated," said Cruz. "This strike should be a message to terrorists near and far: if you conspire to kill Americans, we will find and kill you."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during the Leadership Forum at the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Although much of the response was positive, it was still not totally devoid of partisanship. 

Some Democrats were quick to use the moment to score political points against Republicans, particularly former President Donald Trump. 

"Trump recently hosted a Saudi-backed golf tournament and ridiculously said that nobody has gotten to the bottom of 9/11," said Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. "Under Joe Biden, the United States killed Ayman al Zawahiri, one of the master planners of 9/11." 

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A few Republicans, meanwhile, called the "victory lap" being taken by Biden and lawmakers ridiculous. 

"Zawahiri is credited in planning 9-11 …. but most Americans don’t know or have forgotten who he is, but once they know they will be glad he’s dead," said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA. "But Joe’s victory lap is ridiculous." 

Haris Alic covers Congress and politics for Fox News Digital. You can contact him at haris.alic@fox.com or follow him on Twitter at @realharisalic.

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Reuters reveals former Republicans and Democrats form new third U.S. political party

27 July 2022, 5:57 pm. 1 minute

Reuters exclusively reported dozens of former Republican and Democratic officials announced a new national political third party yesterday to appeal to millions of voters they say are dismayed with what they see as America’s dysfunctional two-party system.

The new party, called Forward, will initially be co-chaired by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey. The new party is being formed by a merger of three political groups that have emerged in recent years as a reaction to America’s increasingly polarized and gridlocked political system.

Article Tags

Topics of Interest: Government

Type: Reuters Best

Sectors: Government & Public Services

Regions: North America

Countries: US

Win Types: Exclusivity

Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop

Media Types: Text

Customer Impact: Significant National Story

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