In a primetime speech from Pennsylvania, President Biden plans to deliver a national address that has all the makings of a pre-midterms campaign speech.
Billed as a speech focused on the ongoing “battle for the soul of the nation,” the President will speak at length about the threat Trumpy extremism presents to American democracy, specifically calling out the folks he’d characterize as “MAGA Republicans,” senior administration officials told members of the media today.
That movement, he plans to say, is one that “does not recognize free and fair elections, a movement that increasingly is talking about violence in response to actions that they don’t like or don’t agree with, which is not the way democracies behave,” officials said.
Timing and location are key. Biden’s talked about the “battle for the soul of the nation” before, in 2020, on a different campaign trail. And just two months out from the midterms, as Democrats digest their evolving 2022 fortunes, speaking from Pennsylvania — the swing state and home base for crucial House, Senate and gubernatorial races — is no accident.
As Republicans witness the fallout their anti-abortion aggression has wrought in some key primary races, Democrats have injected a bit more optimism into recent messaging on the prospects of holding at least one chamber of Congress in the fall. And the bipartisan-bent Biden of 2020 has gotten a bit more fiery in his public remarks in recent weeks, pointedly attacking some components of Trumpy Republicans’ extremism out loud and in public — like when he suggested that the GOP has collectively started bear hugging “semi-fascism.”
While all these factors suggest that Biden will use tonight’s speech as a platform to reenergize the Democratic base, it will likely contain that familiar, sometimes muted Joe Reach-Across-The-Aisle Biden tone. Senior administration officials also told reporters today that the address will not be “a speech about a particular politician, or even about a particular political party.”
The Best Of TPM Today
Here’s what you should read this evening:
New from Josh Kovensky: Who Is Indicted Oath Keepers Attorney Kellye SoRelle?
In case you missed it this morning: Mar-A-Lago Scandal Is Back To Court Today
Big news out of Alaska last night: History Made As Congress’ First Alaskan Native Wins Partial House Term
After Dem Wins Alaska Seat, Right Wingers Think Ranked-Choice Voting Is A Scam
Trump Flirts With Bolduc Endorsement But Resists Committing
After all that back and forth: Judge Says Graham Can’t Avoid Georgia Grand Jury, But Limits Questions
New TPM photo gallery: Trump: I Know How To Stage Fake Documents And The FBI Stole My Schtick!
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
A New York City Rug Expert Weighs In On Mar-a-Lago’s Flooring — Josh Kovensky
What We Are Reading
A melting glacier, an imperiled city and one farmer’s fight for climate justice — Sarah Kaplan
Arrests for Low-Level Crimes Climb Under NYC Mayor Eric Adams — Fola Akinnibi
Prophets, ‘Pizzagaters,’ and an Oath Keeper: A field guide to Doug Mastriano World — Will Bunch
