In the course of about 16 hours, the rhetoric coming from President Biden in his speech last night and via his Twitter account vs. what Biden said earlier today took quite a pivot.
Biden yesterday:
Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans are a threat to the very soul of this country.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 2, 2022
Biden today:
Welp, Joe Biden already forgot the speech he gave last night
Biden: "I don't consider any Trump supporter a threat to the country."pic.twitter.com/Nr09ksIrDp
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) September 2, 2022
Backpedal in progress! At least that gives us a pretty good idea of how the White House thinks that spectacle of a hideous speech from President Unity went over last night.
But if you’re a mainstream media hack, how should all this be framed? You guessed it:
Analysis: A Trump-led movement centered in victimhood sees Biden’s speech as an attackhttps://t.co/IphJnU4STi
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 2, 2022
“Republicans pounce”… again.
Biden: Trump voters are fascists and a threat to Democracy.
Republicans: Did you hear that?
WaPo: Look at these guys playing the victim again! https://t.co/PezugwUC42
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) September 2, 2022
That’s when Republicans “pounced.” 😂
— Kristina Wong 🇺🇸 (@kristina_wong) September 2, 2022
This is from the “analysis” from the Post’s national correspondent Philip Bump:
“MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people,” Biden said. “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.”
[…]
What happened in the aftermath of the speech was entirely predictable: Republicans in media and politics collapsed Biden’s intonations about “MAGA Republicans” into “Republicans” more broadly and, from there, to “half the country.” Biden’s demand that the country address those who “promote authoritarian leaders” and “fan the flames of political violence” became a rote he’s attacking all of us! More extreme iterations of this framing went further — as Trump himself did.“If you look at the words and meaning of the awkward and angry Biden speech tonight,” he wrote on Truth Social, “he threatened America, including with the possible use of military force.”
There’s irony here, certainly, given that Trump flirted with deploying the military against American citizens in the summer of 2020.
Actually the irony here is Biden accusing Trump and many of his supporters of not respecting the Constitution, which is projection writ large coming from a president who went around Congress in an unconstitutional attempt to “cancel” student debt (a move that may ultimately get smacked down by the Supreme Court).
We imagined it, guys. https://t.co/HGR0OpJD8a pic.twitter.com/YeFLimHU8A
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) September 2, 2022
OK everybody, stop pouncing so much!
Ministry of Propaganda™ approved! https://t.co/YB7MtcgpAZ
— Pauly1620 (@pauly1620) September 2, 2022
The Biden administration will award the Washington Post with ten social credit points for this latest feat of water-carrying strength.
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Related:
Now it’s time to focus on what President Biden did NOT mention last night
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