Biden ridiculed for speech on 'threat’ to democracy that ignored record crime, inflation

Republicans are sounding off against President Joe Biden’s “divisive” and “patronizing” speech from Washington D.C.’s Union Station Wednesday night, saying he was distracting from record-high crime and inflation under his administration.

Biden framed the midterm elections as a decision on “whether we’re going to sustain a republic, where reality’s accepted” or the “dark forces that thirst for power” and a battle between “autocracy and democracy,” according to The Daily Mail.  

He also highlighted the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi and tried to tie to Trump’s denial of the 2020 presidential election results, the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and far-right “MAGA Republicans”.

“This institution, this intimidation, this violence against Democrats, Republicans, and nonpartisan officials just doing their jobs, are the consequence of lies told for power and profit, lies of conspiracy and malice, lies repeated over and over to generate a cycle of anger, hate, vitriol, and even violence,” he said.

Conservatives fired back immediately, calling the speech out of touch and divisive.

“President Biden is trying to divide and deflect at a time when America needs to unite—because he can’t talk about his policies that have driven up the cost of living. The American people aren’t buying it,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Conservative radio host Buck Sexton said of the speech: "While it lacked some of the ‘7th circle of hell’ vibes from his August speech, you could argue that, given the timing and messaging, that was the most bizarre, tone deaf, vicious, delusional speech of Biden’s presidency. Which is saying a lot."

Tennessee Rep. Mark Green called the address “divisive,” adding that, “Try as he might, President Biden can’t distract the American people from the truth.”

“Americans are fed up with Joe Biden,” tweeted Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona. “Instead of listening to their concerns, he responded by holding a national address to patronize them. He is a tyrant.”

The White House was blasted for the speech even before it took place from those who said the hollowed-out Union Station was a fitting analogy for the state of affairs under Biden.

“This once-thriving shopping center is now practically a ghost town. I took this photo of empty stores on Saturday,” said Susan Ferrechio, National Politics Correspondent at The Washington Times, along with a photo of empty stores inside the city’s transit hub.

President Biden plans to deliver an address Tuesday night from Union Station in DC. This once-thriving shopping center is now practically a ghost town. I took this photo of empty stores on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/UqgMwxGOnP

— Susan Ferrechio (@susanferrechio) November 2, 2022

“I’m guessing only because it’s election week, but DC cleared the tent city form the front of Union Station and it actually looks nice,” noted Brent Scher, executive editor of the Washington Free Beacon.