The first anniversary of the American Riots! Biden speaks "reckoning" with Trump, who has been calling him "former president"

Source: Global Times

[Global Times special correspondent in the United States Lin Ri Global Times special correspondent Xin Bin Liu Zhi] "Biden condemned the 'big lie' and blamed Trump for the riot" "Biden said: Trump is not only a former president, but also a 'failed former president'"... On the 6th, the first anniversary of the riots in the US Congress, US President Biden gave a speech at the Capitol, fiercely attacking his predecessor and issuing a "soul torture": "Will we become a country that accepts political violence as the norm?" But such an "important" moment that nearly all Republicans in Congress chose to be absent from the commemoration. This highlights the depth of the differences between the two parties, and behind it is the deepening tearing of American society. The latest polls show that most Americans believe the congressional unrest will be repeated in the future. On the 5th, former US President Carter warned that the United States has stood on the "edge of the abyss.". The famous political scientist Francis Fukuyama wrote in the New York Times that the impact of the event is not limited to the United States, but also marks a significant decline in the global power and influence of the United States.

Biden speaks at the U.S. Capitol

Biden criticizes his predecessor for weaving a "web of lies"

In his speech that day, Biden accused Trump of attempting to undermine American democracy, CNN reported. "For the first time in our history, a president not only lost an election but also tried to prevent a peaceful transition of power, and a mob of people came to the Capitol." "On this anniversary, we have to make sure that such an attack never happens again," Biden said. ”

Biden said the United States must be sober about what is true and what is not. "The truth is: The former president weaved a web of lies about the 2020 election." Biden said Trump values "power over principle" and puts "his wounded self-esteem" above the U.S. Constitution. Biden also lashed out at the Republicans, saying "they no longer seem to want to be the parties of Lincoln, Eisenhower, Reagan and Bush."

According to the summary released in advance by the White House, Biden said in his speech on the 6th that the United States "must decide what kind of country we will become." "Will we become a country that accepts political violence as the norm?" "Will we be a country that allows partisan election officials to overturn the people's legitimately expressed will," Biden said. Will we become a nation that lives in the shadow of lies rather than the light of truth? We cannot allow ourselves to be that kind of country. ”

"Biden challenged Trump in a heated speech." According to the website of the US Capitol Hill newspaper, Biden has never called Trump by name and has always called him "former president" in his speeches. The speech was remarkable because of his "focus" on Trump. In his first year as president, Biden usually avoided talking about his predecessors. But some Democrats believe Biden should be more aggressive in targeting Trump, especially as the 2022 midterm elections loom.

According to Yahoo News, Biden spent a lot of time in his speech bashing his predecessor, saying he spread a "network of lies" about the 2020 election results, although he did not mention Trump's name.

After Biden's speech, Trump quickly issued a statement accusing the Democrat of trying to "further divide the United States." "This political show is just to divert attention from the fact that Biden has completely, utterly failed." Trump said.

On the 6th, Democrats will participate in a series of commemorative events widely, but almost all Republicans in Congress are absent. The party's Senate leader, McConnell, led a delegation to a funeral for a former senator in Georgia. He said in a statement that Jan. 6, while a "dark day," was "shocked" by Democrats' attempts to take advantage of the anniversary.

"Trump's control over the Republican Party is unmatched"

Ahead of Biden's speech, Vice President Harris said at the Capitol that American democracy is still in jeopardy. "On January 6, we all saw what our country would look like if those who are trying to dismantle our democracy succeeded: lawlessness, violence, chaos," she said. ”

According to the Associated Press, House Speaker Pelosi conveyed a message to Americans and the world through the agency on the 5th: "Democracy won on that day." "I think people are now aware that there could be rogue presidents," she said.

Some US media said that a year later, the Republican Party still downplayed the riots and accused Democrats of not strengthening the protection of the Capitol. House Republican Leader McCarthy said in a letter to colleagues that Democrats are using the anniversary "as a partisan political weapon to further divide the country."

"A year on, the division of Congress is worse than ever." The Associated Press lamented on the 6th: "All this makes Congress drift toward a seriously uncertain future: is January 6 the end of an era, or the beginning of a new era?" ”

The Pew Investigation Center outlined the basic attitude of American society on the 5th based on three surveys last year. First, Americans are shocked, terrified, and anguished by the congressional unrest, but partisan divisions are palpable. About half of Republicans and Republican supporters say Trump is either heavily responsible (18 percent) or somewhat responsible for the riots (34 percent), but just as many (46 percent) say "no responsibility."

"A year after the congressional unrest, Trump's control over the Republican Party is unmatched." The New York Times said that at this time a year ago, Trump's political future had never been so bleak, he was an election loser, senior employees resigned in protest, prominent allies refused to accept him, and social media giants expelled him. But today, the Republican Party still largely belongs to Trump, who turned lies about the theft of the 2020 election into a creed.

According to the Washington Post, at least 163 Republicans who accept Trump's "false rhetoric" are running for key positions that will give them the power to manage elections. The list includes 69 candidates for governorship, 55 candidates for U.S. senators, 13 candidates for state attorney general, and 18 candidates for secretary of state in 30 states.

Carter: America "Crumbling on the Edge of the Abyss"

"A year ago, a mob, led by unscrupulous politicians, stormed the Capitol and almost succeeded in preventing the democratic transfer of power." Former US president and Democrat Carter wrote in the New York Times on the 5th, "But a year later, the driving force behind the lie that the election was stolen has taken over a political party and provoked distrust of the electoral system among voters." These forces continue to pit Americans against them through endless disinformation. ”

In his home state of Georgia, as well as Texas and Florida, Carter said, politicians have used the mistrust they have created to enact laws that authorize partisan legislatures to interfere in the electoral process, and such an approach could destroy the foundations of American security and democracy at an alarming rate. "Our great nation is now crumbling on the edge of an ever-widening abyss. If we do not act immediately, we will face real risks of internal conflict and the loss of precious democracy. ”

According to a latest poll by momentive, the U.S. investigative agency, 55 percent of Americans now believe Biden legitimately won the election, compared to 58 percent at this time last year. "Even though we all witnessed last year's horrific farce, people's perceptions have not changed, which is frustrating." Voronsky, Senior Manager of Research Science at Momentive, said either Biden "didn't do a good enough job" or "showed he never had a chance and partisanship remains a central topic."

Polls show that about 57 percent of Americans (about half of Republicans and 70 percent of Democrats) say more Events likely to happen in the coming years like January 6. Some 37 percent of respondents said they had lost faith in U.S. democracy, 10 percent said they never had any expectations, and 49 percent said they still had faith.

The Economist commented that Americans are anxious about the stability of their democracy. About 40 percent of political activists believe that opponents are evil, and 60 percent believe that political opponents are a threat to the country. Experts lament the decline in political life do not seem to match the seriousness of the threat, and some scholars even warn of the dangers of civil war. The biggest problem is that in several key states, election administration is dragged into partisanship. Contempt for the legitimacy of the election will become a "common, disastrous belief" between the two parties.

The Financial Times said on the 6th that when Biden returned to Washington this week, a snowstorm paralyzed the US capital. This is opportune as he grapples with multiple crises at the start of the new year, from a surge in COVID-19 infections to a stagnant economic agenda and escalating tensions with Russia. Congressional Democratic leaders have turned their attention to legislation protecting voting rights to counter the move of republicans in many states to restrict voter voting. The action coincided with the first anniversary of the deadly attack on the United States Capitol.

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