Biden blames extreme MAGA Republicans for intimidating voters and election officials, calling it 'corrosive' to democracy

President Joe Biden urged Americans to ballot successful favour of democracy, cull election-denying candidates and beryllium diligent with results up of the archetypal nationalist Election Day held since the January 6 onslaught connected the U.S. Capitol.

"It's estimated that determination are much than 300 predetermination deniers connected the ballot each crossed America this year," Biden said, speaking astatine Washington, D.C.'s Union Station. "We can't disregard the interaction this is having connected our country. It's damaging, it's corrosive and it's destructive."

Biden's omen came with little than a week to spell until Election Day and 5 days aft an assailant with a past of sharing right-wing conspiracy theories broke into the home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacked her husband with a hammer, causing superior harm to his head.

In his code Wednesday evening, Biden said Pelosi's attacker David DePape utilized the same rhetoric the rioters did connected January 6. Biden, without naming Donald Trump, said the erstwhile president had the rioters "whipped up into a frenzy" by his large prevarication that the predetermination of 2020 had been stolen. The lie, Biden said, has led to further governmental unit and elector intimidation seen implicit the past 2 years.

"This intimidation, this unit against Democrats, Republicans and nonpartisan officials conscionable doing their jobs are the effect of lies told for powerfulness and profit. Lies of conspiracy and malice. Lies repeated implicit and implicit to make a rhythm of anger, hate, vitriol and adjacent violence," Biden said. "In this moment, we person to face those lies with the truth."

Biden cited caller polls that amusement Americans are acrophobic with the authorities of democracy, and reminded voters they tin face it astatine the ballot box. The choices made now, Biden said, volition find whether ideology successful the United States volition endure.

"We request to commencement looking retired for each different again, seeing ourselves arsenic we the people, not arsenic entrenched enemies," Biden said. "This is simply a prime we tin make. Disunion and chaos are not inevitable. There's been choler earlier successful America, there's been part earlier successful America, but we've ne'er fixed up connected the American experimentation and we can't bash that now."

Biden besides reminded Americans that successful galore states absentee ballots cannot beryllium counted earlier polls adjacent connected Election Day, meaning it volition instrumentality clip for the last results to travel in. This became a cardinal constituent of contention for conspiracy theorists during the 2020 election, peculiarly arsenic galore Democrats voted by message amid the coronavirus pandemic. Far close predetermination deniers claimed the legally formed ballots were fraudulent.

"It takes clip to number each morganatic ballots successful a ineligible and orderly manner," Biden said. "It's ever been important for citizens successful a ideology to beryllium informed and engaged. Now it's important for citizens to beryllium diligent arsenic well."