President Biden told Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday that former President Trump must be captured and detained before he reveals his political intentions.
Speaking at New Hampshire Democratic Party headquarters, Biden warned that “democracy is at stake” in the upcoming election. Biden portrayed Republican nominee Trump as a serious threat to the rule of law.
The president said Trump would replace public servants with allies and warned that Trump would interpret the recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity to mean he has the right to “remove” anyone he deems a threat.
“I know this sounds weird. If I said this five years ago, you would have locked me up. We have to lock him up,” Biden said to cheers. “Politically lock him up.”
Mr. Biden's comments echoed a common refrain used by Mr. Trump and his supporters regarding Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign. Democrats, including Vice President Harris, have been careful to avoid using similar rhetoric amid President Trump's numerous legal problems.
The former president was convicted in New York earlier this year on 34 felonies related to the hush-money scheme. He remains facing federal charges in Washington, D.C., over his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election.
As president, Mr. Biden has maintained independence from the Justice Department and carefully avoided discussing Mr. Trump's legal problems publicly. President Trump has repeatedly denounced the lawsuits against him as politically motivated.
The Trump campaign quickly seized on the remarks to claim that Biden acknowledged that the investigation into Trump was political.
“Joe Biden just admitted the truth: His and Kamala's plan all along was to politically persecute his opponent, President Trump, because righteous… “There is no way we can defeat President Trump confidently.” “The Harris-Biden administration is a real threat to our democracy. We call on Kamala Harris to condemn Joe Biden's disgraceful comments.”
Democratic presidential candidate Harris has always pushed back when crowds chant “lock him up” in reference to Trump, saying she wants the courts to resolve the issue while she focuses on winning at the polls. He said he would.
