Nearly half of Hispanics see Biden's Philadelphia speech as a 'dangerous escalation'

Most Hispanics are divided over President Joe Biden’s speech in Philadelphia on September 1, with some claiming that it was a “dangerous escalation” of political rhetoric designed to “ignite conflict” in the U.S., according to a Trafalgar survey. 

During a televised speech in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on Thursday, dubbed the “red sermon,” Biden claimed that “equality and democracy were under assault” by “MAGA Republicans” that were led by Donald Trump. 

“MAGA Republicans have made their choice. They embrace anger. They thrive on chaos. They live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies,” said the president. 

“MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people… They refuse to accept the results of a free election. And they’re working right now, as I speak, in state after state to give power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies, empowering election deniers to undermine democracy itself,” Biden added. 

When asked about their opinion about President Biden’s speech in which he accused his political opponents of representing “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” 46.9% of Hispanic respondents thought that the speech “represented a dangerous escalation in rhetoric” and was “designed to incite conflict amongst Americans.” 

Similarly, 56.5% of Asian respondents agreed with the statement along with 61% of White respondents. However, only 39% of Black respondents agreed with the statement. 

In general, 56.8% of all respondents thought the speech was a “dangerous escalation in rhetoric and is designed to incite conflict amongst Americans,” while 35.5% said it was an “acceptable campaign messaging that is expected in an election year.”

When broken down by party affiliation, 89.1% of Republicans, 18.7% of Democrats, and 62.4% of independents considered Biden’s speech dangerous. 

"When voters tell you they think that the prepared remarks of a sitting president of the US is a dangerous escalation and was designed to incite conflict, we are living in terrifying times,” said Mark Meckler of Convention of States, the group that commissioned the poll.

“Perhaps even more terrifying is the fact that a huge majority of Democrats think this was just a routine, election year stump speech,” he added.

The survey was conducted between Friday and Monday on a sample of 1,084 likely general election voters.