(OPINION) The crowd at Mother Emanuel AME Church roared with approval when President Joe Biden called former President Donald Trump a “loser” during a fiery speech at the site of the racist Charleston massacre.
President Biden has been escalating his attacks on Trump for months at off-camera campaign events, but began holding campaign speeches on-camera starting Friday.
Biden continued to take aim at Trump in South Carolina on Monday, where his speech at Mother Emanuel was interrupted by protesters demanding a ceasefire.
The crowd drowned out the protesters, and one could be heard yelling to Biden “You’re a good man!” in response to the disruption. The speech was very well-received — particularly when the president talked about Trump’s attempt to overturn the election and noted “He’s a loser!”:
Time and again they lost in every court of law that challenged the results, 60 losses in courts of America! There’s one thing they don’t have. They don’t have respect for the 81 million people who voted the other way, voted for my candidacy! And voted to end the presidency–
In their world, these Americans, including you, don’t count. But that’s not the real world. That’s not democracy. That’s not America! In America, we all count! In America we witness to serve all those who, in fact, participate. And losers are taught to concede when they lose. And he’s a loser!
(CROWD CHEERS WILDLY)
Then we all came together to put the country before ourselves. The lies that led to January 6th are part of a broader attack on the truth of America today that we all have seen before. The same movement.
That’s right. The mob at the United States Capitol isn’t just trying to rewrite history on January 6th. They’re trying to determine to erase history and your future!
Banning books, denying your right to vote and have it counted. Destroying diversity. Equality. Inclusion. All across America. Harboring hate and replacing hope with anger and resentment and dangerous view of America.
A narrow view of America, a zero-sum view of America that says if you win, I lose. If you succeed, must be I fail. If you get ahead, I fall behind. And maybe worst of all: If I hold you down, I lift myself up.
That’s not new in America. Every stride forward has often been met with ferocious backlashes. And those who fear the progress, and those who exploit that fear for their own personal gain, and those who traffic and lies told for profit and power.
