US President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris have warned of a threat to democracy in the United States from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. In an interview with CBS published on Wednesday (local time), Biden said he was “not sure” that there would be a peaceful transfer of power if Trump were to lose. Referring to Trump’s statement about a “bloodbath” if he lost the election, Biden said: “He means what he says.” Harris also described a possible second term for Trump as a threat to democracy at a campaign event in the US state of Wisconsin.
“If Trump loses, I’m not at all sure,” Biden told the US broadcaster when asked whether he believed there would be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025. “He means what he says. We don’t take him seriously,” warned the US president in the interview, which is to be broadcast in full on Sunday. Trump is serious – including his comments about a “bloodbath” in the event of an election defeat, Biden added.
The US President had already frequently quoted Trump’s comments about a “bloodbath” – although the Republican had explained that these comments were made in connection with imports of electric cars from China.
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidate Harris also warned against a return of the right-wing populist Trump to the White House. During an appearance in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, she referred to a statement by Trump that he would become a dictator on “day one” after an election victory in November, as well as his threat to use the Justice Department against his political enemies.
“Anyone who suggests that we should repeal the Constitution of the United States should never again have the opportunity to stand behind the seal of the President of the United States,” Harris said. She also called on the people of the United States to reject “chaos, fear and hatred.”
At the end of 2022, Trump again spread his false claim that he was deprived of a second term in office through voter fraud in the 2020 election. “Massive fraud of this nature and magnitude allows for the repeal of every rule, regulation and article, even those in the Constitution,” Trump wrote at the time on his online network Truth Social.
The 59-year-old Democratic candidate, Harris, and her vice president, Tim Walz, are currently on a multi-day campaign tour in contested states. In Wisconsin and Michigan, both outlined a vision of future prosperity for the middle class. However, a return of Trump would set the country back, warned Harris.
She also referred again to the criminal convictions against Trump: While she pursued fraudsters and sex offenders as Attorney General in California, her opponent was found guilty of sexual violence and fraud worth millions. “I can tell you that on any given day in this election campaign, I will proudly compare my record with his,” said Harris.
During an appearance in Detroit, Harris was repeatedly interrupted by protests against the Biden administration’s Gaza policy. “If you want Donald Trump to win, say so,” Harris said. “Otherwise, I’ll speak.”
Meanwhile, her running mate Walz warned against the “dangerous and backward-looking ideas” with which Trump and his running mate JD Vance went into the Republican election campaign. According to Walz, the Democrats’ campaign appearance in the important state of Michigan was “the largest rally of the election campaign so far.” In national polls, Harris is now slightly ahead of Trump.
