President Joe Biden, during a White House press conference on Monday night, sought to reframe the November general election around President Donald Trump’s alleged actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
Biden’s speech came after the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on Monday in favor of former President Donald Trump, finding that presidents have limited immunity from criminal prosecution for actions while in office. The ruling deals a major blow to the Justice Department’s prosecution of Biden’s political opponents, which Trump and his allies have portrayed as a politically motivated legal battle.
But if Biden’s aides thought his less than five-minute speech would rally his supporters and reassure a nation increasingly skeptical of his ability to do his job, they are likely to be disappointed.
Despite reading from a teleprompter, Biden slurred his words several times, at one point appeared to misread “end quote,” and was more erratic in his delivery (and looked like he had spray tanning on him) than his substance. Aside from the content of his speech, Biden declined to answer questions from multiple reporters about his fitness to be president or whether he intended to leave public office.
“Just four years ago, my predecessor sent a violent mob into the United States Capitol to stop the peaceful transfer of power,” Biden said, repeating an assertion that Trump has refuted with evidence and that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) “Trump-ous” Jan. 6 commission has allegedly destroyed evidence and perpetuated.
Biden continued, veering off the teleprompter. “But we sat there that day and watched it happen with our own eyes,” he said. “Attacks on police. [sic]Capitol sacking, rioters [indiscernible] They hunted down House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and set up a gallows to hang Vice President Mike Pence. [sic] This is one of the darkest days in American history.”
Undaunted by the setback, Biden continued, “Now the man who sent that mob into our Capitol can be convicted for what happened that day. The American people deserve answers in a court of law before the next election.”
Following Monday’s ruling, Trump’s special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution in Washington over the alleged January 6 election interference will likely fail, or at least suffer a significant blow, as Biden acknowledged on Monday night.
Smith’s appointment itself could be ruled unconstitutional in the Florida court ruled by Judge Eileen Cannon, who is overseeing Smith’s lawsuit against Trump for possessing classified documents. In a concurring opinion in Monday’s ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas questioned the legality of the appointment, paving the way for Cannon to rule that Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to a position that does not exist and with authority that Garland does not possess.
“The American people have a right to know answers about what happened on January 6th before they are asked to vote again this year,” Biden said.
Many Americans who oppose Biden would agree with this statement. Interestingly, the men Biden mentioned who allegedly set up a gallows to hang Pence are not among the hundreds of people who were in the Capitol on January 6th who have been identified. Captured On video.
“Now the American people will have to do what the court was willing to do but did not: pass judgment on Donald Trump’s conduct,” Biden said.
He continued, “The American people must decide whether Donald Trump’s attack on our democracy on January 6th makes him unfit to hold the highest office in the country. The American people must decide whether it is acceptable for Trump to resort to violence to stay in power. Perhaps most importantly, the American people must decide whether they want to entrust the presidency to Donald Trump again, knowing that he will have even more courage to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.”
If Trump’s lead in the polls holds, Biden will likely not be satisfied with the American people’s final verdict.
Bradley Jay is Capitol Hill correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter. translation:.
