When asked in 2020 what he would say on Inauguration Day to voters who didn't vote for him, Biden answered:
"I represent all of you, whether you voted for me or against me...What is on the ballot here is the character of this country -- decency, honor, respect, treating people with dignity, making sure that everyone has an even chance.”
— Joe Biden from his inaugural address
"I'm asking you that regardless of whether you're a Democrat, Republican or independent — put the preservation of our democracy before everything else," Biden said. "Put our country first.", NPR, November 23, 2023
When asked in 2020 what he would say on Inauguration Day to voters who didn't vote for him, Trump answered:
“Success is going to bring us together...If [Biden] gets in, you will have a depression the likes of which you’ve never seen, your 401Ks will go to hell, and it will be a very very sad day for this country."
Trump relies heavily on militant "US versus THEM" language.
In their book, THE DIVIDER, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser write, "Life was a zero - sum game; if the other guy was doing well, it meant that Trump was not. 'I don't believe in win/win,' he once told biographer Michael D'Antonio. 'I believe in I win.'"
What Donald Trump’s Books Say About Winning,
The Atlantic, November 12, 2017
Why Trump's authoritarian language about 'vermin' matters, NPR, November 17, 2023
CNN, December 17, 2023
“Trump Hopes Economic Crash Comes on Biden’s Watch”
Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2024
Biden's emphasis on "personal freedom" in early campaign takes aim at GOP CBS News, April 29, 2023
Biden: Defending freedom ‘the calling of our lifetime’ Politico, July 12, 2023
'No sweeter word than freedom': Biden assails Putin and vows to keep helping Ukraine, NBC News, Feb. 21, 2023
Biden marks Jan. 6 anniversary by calling Trump a threat to democracy and freedom ABC News, January 5, 2024
Biden Campaign Sharpens Its Post-Roe Message: Abortion Is About Freedom NYTimes, January 20, 2024
A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable.
Washington Post, November 30, 2023 by Robert Kagan
Trump urges Republicans to reject border and Ukraine aid bill
"In 2020, Trump told reporters, 'When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total and that’s the way it’s got to be. … It’s total. The governors know that.' The local leaders, Trump said, 'can’t do anything without the approval of the president of the United States.'"
Trump says his ‘authority is total.’
Constitutional experts have ‘no idea’ where he got that.
Washington Post, August 14, 2020
"In sharp contrast [to Trump's administration], the Biden administration has seen a return to government run by political professionals with vast government experience and policy expertise." How Joe Biden's First Two Years Compare to Donald Trump's, Newsweek, January 20, 2023
Biden's age versus Trump's chaos is an easy vote
In a speech at the Naval Academy, Biden advised cadets to cultivate adaptability, respect, and inclusivity -three leadership skills that prioritize people over power - in order to change the world. NBC News, May 28, 2022
Quiet Competence Could Cost Joe Biden the Election
The Atlantic, February 7, 2024
"Despite these challenges, relative stability in White House staffing continued to be a Biden administration hallmark, particularly when compared to the tumult in the Trump administration." Brookings, January 20, 2024
"It’s time to start calling Joe Biden a great president. Not a good one. Not a better choice than Donald Trump. Joe Biden is a historically great president. Say it with passion backed by the conviction that it’s true....Because it is!
"One of the greatest gifts of a democratic civil society is the freedom not to think about government, to wake up and not worry about the mood of a leader. Joe Biden has made governing boring and predictable, both fundamental rights of the people in a healthy democracy."
Just Say It, Democrats: Biden Has Been a Great President The New Republic, February 8, 2024
America’s Image Abroad Rebounds With Transition From Trump to Biden, Pew Research, June 10, 2021
"It was two years of self-generated chaos with little policy output," Bernard Tamas told Newsweek [re Trump's first years in office]. How Joe Biden's First Two Years Compare to Donald Trump's, Newsweek, January 20, 2023
With disarray on Capitol Hill, in the courts, and at the Republican National Committee, yesterday was a throwback to the vertiginous days of the Trump administration. Lots of data show that Americans aren’t paying close attention to politics or don’t believe Donald Trump will really be the Republican nominee, but each bit of Tuesday’s chaos had Trump’s fingerprints all over it—offering a partial preview of what life will be like if Trump is reelected in November.
Welcome Back to the Chaos of the Trump Era
The Atlantic February 7, 2024
Mr Trump is ending his presidency as I saw him start it - in an exhausting blaze of chaos.' Four years of Donald Trump - 'an exhausting blaze of chaos Sky News, January 19, 2021
"As Doris Kearns Goodwin, the presidential historian and author of the recent book 'Leadership: In Turbulent Times,' told me this week, Mr. Trump manifestly lacks a long list of traits associated with effective leadership: 'humility, acknowledging errors, shouldering blame and learning from mistakes, empathy, resilience, collaboration, connecting with people and controlling unproductive emotions.'" Why Trump’s Unusual Leadership Style Isn't Working in the White House, NYTimes, January 10, 2019
Trump’s false or misleading claims total 30,573 over 4 years Washington Post, January 24, 2021
Biden says he ‘can’t think of one’ reason for total presidential immunity, The Hill, December 25, 2023
"The Most Important Foreign Bribery Law in Half a Century Empowers the U.S. Government to Prosecute Foreign Officials Who Demand or Receive Bribes from Americans"
PRESIDENT BIDEN SIGNS INTO LAW LANDMARK BILL TO CRIMINALLY PROSECUTE CORRUPT FOREIGN LEADERS
Transparency International U.S., December 23, 2023
A now-indicted FBI informant was at the 'heart' of the GOP's case against Joe Biden NBC News, February 16, 2024
“...Mr. Biden alerted authorities, turned in classified documents to the National Archives and the Department of Justice in 2022 and 2023, consented to the search of multiple locations including his homes, permitted the seizure and review of handwritten notebooks he believed to be his personal property, and in numerous other ways cooperated with the investigation.” What’s the difference between the Trump and Biden classified documents investigations?
NBC News, February 8, 2024
Biden speech: Trump's "lies brought a mob" to D.C. on Jan. 6 Axios, January 5, 2024
Trump’s Lawyers Argue That Their Client Is Above the Law, The Nation, January 10, 2024
Presidents Aren't Above the Law
Flathead Beacon, January 6, 2024
Trump’s Bizarre Immunity Claims Should Serve as a Warning, The New Yorker, January 10, 2024
Supreme Court Ducks ...Trump Emoluments Cases
Brennan Center for Justice, February 19, 2021
Trump Businesses Received $7.8 Million From Foreign Countries During Presidency, House Reports
Forbes, January 4, 2024
“'Most notably, after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite,” the report said. “According to the indictment, he not only refused to return the documents for months, but he also obstructed justice by enlisting others to destroy evidence and then to lie about it.” What’s the difference between the Trump and Biden classified documents investigations? NBC News, February 8, 2024
Trump said...he was "inclined to pardon many" of the people convicted of federal offenses for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, NBC News, May 10, 2023
"Biden has been a staunch supporter of Obamacare and has taken steps during his own first term in the White House to expand the program through rules and legislation, including measures that increased premium subsidies. In part because of those subsidies, enrollment has increased steadily and hit records under his watch." Biden Wants States to Ensure Obamacare Plans Cover Enough Doctors and Hospitals,
KFF Health News, December 6, 2023
"The Biden administration is launching a $5 billion-plus program to accelerate development of new coronavirus vaccines and treatments, seeking to better protect against a still-mutating virus, as well as other coronaviruses that might threaten us in the future." White House launching $5 billion program to speed coronavirus vaccines Washington Post, April 10, 2023
“Aiming to make life-saving medications more affordable, the Biden administration on Thursday sent offers to drug companies who make 10 widely prescribed drugs for older Americans.” Medicare drug price negotiations kick off with price offers on these 10 drugs USA Today, February 1, 2024
President Biden Lowers Prescription Drug Costs as Trump Rails Against Affordable Health Care, democrats.org, February 1, 2024
FAQs about the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program KFF, January 31, 2024
"On the presidential campaign trail, former President Donald Trump is, once again, promising to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act — a nebulous goal that became one of his administration’s splashiest policy failures...
"He appointed three Supreme Court justices, who were instrumental in overturning the constitutional right to an abortion...
"More than 400,000 Americans died from covid over Trump’s last year in office. His travel bans and other efforts to prevent the global spread of the virus were ineffective, his administration was slower than other countries’ governments to develop a diagnostic test, and he publicly clashed with his own government’s health officials over the response." What Would a Second Trump Presidency Look Like for Health Care? KFF Health News, January 16, 2024
Trump doubles down, saying ‘Obamacare Sucks’ and must be replaced NBC News, November 29, 2023
Trump Allies Plan New Sweeping Abortion Restrictions NYTimes, February 17, 2024
Trump's justices decisive in long campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade Reuters, June 24, 2022
“Without me there would be no 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 15 weeks, or whatever is finally agreed to. Without me the pro Life movement would have just kept losing,” Trump added.Trump: 'I was able to kill Roe v. Wade'
NBC News, May 17, 2023
— President Biden speaking near Valley Forge, PA
Marking Jan. 6 anniversary, Biden warns political violence poses grave threat to democracy, PBS News, January 5, 2024 with Amna Nawaz and Laura Barrón-López
"Political extremists engage in what is known as the either-or fallacy. By framing issues as binary conflicts and demonizing opponents, they create a climate in which violence becomes normalized. Recent statements by Mr. Trump exemplify this strategy. He uses Truth Social posts to make unfounded accusations and express disdain for rivals. These posts do more than spread disinformation. They foster an environment in which violence against perceived enemies becomes not just conceivable but justified."
Swatting and the Dangerous Rise of Political Violence, NYTimes, January 23, 2024 by Barbara McQuade
“Threats toward elected officials are up by hundreds of percentage points. They increased 187% during the first Trump presidency alone.” Swatting generates fear and intimidation. It can also destabilize democracy NPR interviews Ruth Ben-Giatt, January 20, 2024
"For all the action we have taken since I’ve been President, the epidemic of gun violence we face demands that we do even more. But we cannot do more without Congress. Republican lawmakers must join with Democrats in Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, pass a national red flag law, enact universal background checks, require the safe storage of guns, and advance other commonsense measures that will help stem the tide of gun violence." White House, December 6, 2023
Biden announces White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, ABC News, September 22, 2023
Statement from President Joe Biden on Stopping Over 500 Illegal Under-21 Gun Purchases Through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, White House, January 5, 2024
"Trump hasn’t just failed to strengthen America’s gun laws in the wake of repeated mass shootings, he’s systematically gutted existing laws in ways that make kids and communities less safe." Democracy Forward
Here are five ways Trump has failed to keep the American people safe from gun violence, EveryTown for Gun Safety, February 4. 2020
Trump champions gun rights in NRA speech days after Uvalde school shooting, Politico, May 27, 2022
Trump Repeals Rule Designed To Block Gun Sales To Certain Mentally Ill People NPR, February 28, 2017
Trump made it easier for the mentally ill to get guns when he rolled back Obama regulation Time, August 4, 2019
"In less than one year, President Biden succeeded where Trump failed, and FL Republicans are scrambling to take credit." Four Years Ago Trump's Infrastructure Plan Collapsed Before It Even Got Off the Ground, Florida Democratic Party, February 12, 2022
"'Bidenomics' is rooted in what’s always worked best for the country: investing in America and investing in Americans,” as the president put it in a November speech in Northfield, Minn." The Seeds Joe Biden Has Planted,
NYTimes Opinion, January 8, 2024 by Binyamin Appelbaum
The White House, November 9, 2023
"Polls show that most Americans don’t even know the law was enacted, and it may be years before voters see improvements in their communities."
Politico, November 6, 2022
How Biden Got the Infrastructure Deal Trump Couldn’t NYTimes, July 29, 2021
"'Why is it that Old Crow Mitch McConnell voted for a terrible Democrat Socialist Infrastructure Place, and inducted others in his Party to do likewise, when he was incapable of getting a great Infrastructure Plan wanting to be put forward by me and the Republican Party?' the former president pondered."
Trump Is Big Mad Over Biden’s Big Infrastructure Week
Rolling Stone, November 9, 2021 by Ryan Bort
Trump releases statement trashing McConnell for not passing infrastructure while he was president. But it was Trump who walked away from a $2 trillion deal in 2019. Business Insider, November 9, 2021
Trump drops infrastructure talks over Pelosi ‘cover-up’ comment, Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 22, 2019
"The “builder president” launched several “Infrastructure Weeks.” But when federal dollars never arrived, states and cities rallied to make progress where they could." How Trump's $1 Trillion Infrastructure Pledge Added Up, Bloomberg, November 16, 2020
Trump “$1.5 Trillion” Infrastructure Plan Is a Mirage, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, February 12, 2018
“I understand the former president is desperately trying to stop this bill because he’s not interested in solving the border problem,” Mr. Biden said. “He wants a political issue to run against me on.”
“Republicans have to decide,” he added. “Who do they serve? Donald Trump or the American people?”
Biden Tells Republicans to ‘Show Some Spine’ Against Trump on Border Deal NYTimes, February 6, 2024
"While Congress has failed to act, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken significant measures to protect Dreamers. This includes, issuing regulations by the Department of Homeland Security to “preserve and fortify” DACA and fighting political opponents in court as they attempt to strip them of the only home they have ever known." The White House, April 13, 2023
Keeps families together while enforcing our border laws.
Opposes state laws targeting immigrants. Texas!
Biden granted temporary asylum to 400,000 Venezuelans to keep them from attempting to cross the border illegally.
Says immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country." Plans to continue building a WALL to keep everyone out.
During Republican Donald Trump's 2017-2021 presidency, migrant arrests peaked at 852,000 in fiscal year 2019.
Separated parents and children who crossed the border without visas to deter other families from coming.
Ended DACA.
Fact-Checking Trump’s Recent Immigration Claims
Supports NATO and all democratic allies worldwide.
Put together alliance to help Ukraine against Putin's invasion.
“... What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality. Nobody should be fooled,” Biden said from the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Friday, forcefully pinning blame on 'Putin and his thugs.' Navalny’s death puts a new spotlight on key dividing line between Trump and Biden CNN, February 16, 2024
Biden supports Israel's right to defend itself, but also calls for restraint, cease fire, and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. “'I’ve been pushing really hard – really hard – to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza. A lot of innocent people are starving. A lot innocent people in trouble and dying. And it’s got to stop,' Biden said." Biden calls Israel’s response in Gaza over the top CNN, February 8, 2024
NYTimes readers on Biden's foreign policy achievements:
"...People don't understand how clever Biden is with expanding NATO. Sweden remained neutral during the world wars. To get more members of this institution is a coup."
"... Russia, a major geopolitical foe, has been crippled by the Ukrainian military. That cost us 5% of our defense budget without putting a single American service person in harm's way. This was a strategic triumph for American interests and now the Republicans want to throw it all away. Putin will certainly be grateful, but this would be a major failure for American interests."
Biden's foreign policy success stems from reversal of Trump's policies, expert says Fox News, February 6, 2024
Says dictators like Putin, Kim Jung Un are smart!
Trump says Hezbollah, Hamas' allies, are "very smart"
Undercuts NATO and other alliances
"Trump...said nothing directly about the Russian opposition leader in a post that his campaign said was his official response to Navalny’s death. Instead, he spent the morning posting more than 20 times on Truth Social about his criminal cases." Navalny’s death puts a new spotlight on key dividing line between Trump and Biden CNN, Feb 16, 2024
Opinion columnist, Josh Login, writes, "Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, has declined to commit to continuing military assistance for Ukraine, and has said he will simply solve the conflict “in 24 hours.” His GOP allies consistently amplify Russian propaganda against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. And Trump has refused Zelensky’s invitation to Kyiv."
"In a second term, Trump could pull the United States out of NATO, or at least out of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the more than 50-nation coalition Washington leads. While NATO leaders don’t want to get involved in U.S. politics, several told me they are gravely concerned about Trump’s possible abandonment of the Ukraine aid effort. Ukraine and its supporters need to prepare for a return of Trump, Washington Post, December 5, 2023
How Trump advanced Arab-Israeli peace but fueled Palestinian rage Washington Post, February 10, 2024
Trump Is Benefiting From His Incoherent Israel-Hamas War Stance NYMagazine, December 19, 2023
Trump unveils Middle East plan that caters to Israel and was swiftly rejected by Palestinians CNN, January 28, 2020
Miguel Cardona, Biden's Secretary of Eduction, is a strong defender of public schools. Biden reiterates support for free community college and all public colleges for families earning less than $125,000. Inside Higher Ed, January 3, 2021
NEA Today, December 22, 2020
The White House, January 19, 2024
"The Biden administration has canceled more than $136 billion in student loan debt for more than 3.7 million people as the White House finds workarounds after the Supreme Court decision in June." Biden Cancels Another $5 Billion in Student Loan Debt, NYTimes, January 19. 2024
" From the day she was announced as the nominee, educators have stood firmly against Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education due to her extreme lack of qualifications and horrible record in undermining public schools." National Education Association, February 13, 2020
Donald Trump pledges to create a federally funded online university that awards free degrees — one where “wokeness or jihadism” are not allowed. “We spend more money on higher education than any other country and yet, they’re turning our students into communists and terrorists and sympathizers of many, many different dimensions,” Trump said in a video of his proposal. “We can’t let this happen.”Trump wants to build a free online university — and make Harvard pay for it, Politico, November 1, 2023 by Meridith McGraw and Michael Stratford
U.S. Officially Rejoins Paris Climate Agreement, Scientific American, February 19, 2021
Spurred hundreds of billions of dollars in private sector investment — in wind, solar, electric vehicles, and more — through the Inflation Reduction Act
NYTimes, February 8, 2024
Senior administration officials announced new policies Tuesday that aim to ensure that rural regions hit by mine closures and shuttered power plants can get an economic boost from new federal cash for energy and infrastructure funding." E&E News by Politico, April 4, 2023
U.S. Exits Paris Climate Accord after Trump Stalls Global Warming Action for Four Years, Scientifc American, November 4, 2020
"Donald Trump has said he would overturn [The Inflation Reduction Act] if re-elected. That prospect has worried business leaders who have warned that such a move would drastically hurt American industry."
NYTimes, February 8, 2024
"In contrast to a sometimes chaotic first White House term, [Turmp allies] outlined a far more methodical second presidency: driving forward fossil fuel production, sidelining mainstream climate scientists, and overturning rules that curb planet-heating emissions."
Mother Jones, February 7, 2024
"Here’s the truth: Coal is in a long decline, and anyone who says there’s a coal revival in the offing that will bring huge numbers of good-paying mining jobs back is lying. Yet that’s just what Donald Trump said in 2016, and he and his party haven’t said anything different since" .Coal country voters demand nothing from the GOP. That’s what they get. Washington Post Opinion, August 10, 2023 by Paul Waldman
Biden won the popular vote in 2020 by over 7 million votes.
Biden’s victory over Trump in 2020 was not close. He won the Electoral College with 306 votes to Trump’s 232, and the popular vote by more than 7 million ballots.
Remarks by President Biden, January 11, 2022
FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Administration Continues to Promote Access to Voting The White House, March 5, 2023
Trump lost the popular vote in 2020 by over 7 million votes. Trump lost the popular vote in 2016 by over 3 million votes.
"It’s part of a multiyear effort to undermine public confidence in the American electoral process as he seeks to chart a return to the White House in 2024" .Trump’s drumbeat of lies about the 2020 election keeps getting louder. Here are the facts. APNews, August 27, 2023
"Desperate to overturn his election loss, Donald Trump and his team spun a sprawling voter-fraud fiction, casting two rank-and-file election workers, a mother and her daughter, as the main villains. The women endured months of death threats and racist taunts – and one went into hiding."
Trump campaign demonized two Georgia election workers – and death threats followed Reuters, December 1, 2021
7 Ways the Biden Administration Advanced Religious Liberty During Its First Year
Center for American Progress, February 25, 2022
"Biden has been described as the most overtly religious US president in more than 40 years, since Jimmy Carter. Biden attends weekly Mass and keeps a picture of Pope Francis in the Oval Office. Yet, for [Biden], faith is 'a private matter'”.
The Irish Times, April 12, 2023
"Trump, his family and his supporters have been more than willing to claim that Trump is ordained by God for a special mission, to restore America as a Christian nation.
In recent weeks, for example, the former president posted a video called “God Made Trump” on Truth Social that was produced by a conservative media group technically independent of the Trump campaign. He has also screened it at campaign rallies."
The Deification of Donald Trump Poses Some Interesting Questions, NYTimes, January 17, 2024 by Thomas B. Edsall
"When [Christians] hear Trump talk about how he's persecuted, if they're already supporters of his, it's a familiar cry - one they've heard from the pulpit on Sundays. They identify with him because of it, and they start interpreting criticisms of Trump through that framework. How Trump taps into Christian ideology NPR, February 4. 2024
Why Trump's Persecution Narrative Resonates With Christian Supporters NPR, November 2, 2024
The terrible 10 church-state separation lowlights of Donald Trump’s presidency People's World, January 11, 2021
The Separation of Church and State Is Breaking Down Under Trump The Atlantic, June 9, 2020
"From our family to yours: Merry Christmas, America!"
"This Christmas Eve, my wish for you and your family is that you take a few moments of quiet reflection and find that stillness that's at the center of the Christmas story," he wrote. "May you find peace in this silent night. And warmth from those surrounding you."
Donald Trump and Joe Biden's Very Different Christmas Messages, Newsweek, December 25, 2023
by Khaleda Rahman
"2024 WILL GO DOWN AS THE YEAR OF GREAT AND FULLY COORDINATED ILLEGAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE BY CROOKED JOE BIDEN, THE WORST AND MOST CORRUPT PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, THE DOJ, FBI, A.G.'s, & D.A.'s THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, BUT DESPITE IT ALL, IN THE END, THERE WILL BE A BIG AND GLORIOUS VICTORY FOR THOSE BRAVE AND VALIANT PATRIOTS WHO WANT TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!"
"THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN, LIED TO CONGRESS, CHEATED ON FISA, RIGGED A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, ALLOWED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, MANY FROM PRISONS & MENTAL INSTITUTIONS, TO INVADE OUR COUNTRY, SCREWED UP IN AFGHANISTAN, & JOE BIDEN'S MISFITS & THUGS, LIKE DERANGED JACK SMITH, ARE COMING AFTER ME, AT LEVELS OF PERSECUTION NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN OUR COUNTRY??? IT'S CALLED ELECTION INTERFERENCE. MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
Angry ALL CAPS courtesy of impeached former president Donald J. Trump
Democratic leaders speak the truth, respect the law, honor majority rule, uphold the constitution, and work for the greater good of all people across this country.
Autocratic leaders advocate winning at all costs, will not accept defeat, spread lies, manipulate the media, and flaunt the law. Authoritarians are a serious threat to our republic.