Biden says Trump sees Paul Pelosi attacker, Jan. 6 protesters as ‘patriots’

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President Biden on Thursday lumped the man who violently attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in with the January 6 protesters, and said that former President Donald Trump sees them all as patriots.

“How can you call yourself a democracy when you have a group of 1,000 people who storm the United States Capitol, break the windows and doors down … break through the House and Senate doors and chambers, have people cowering on the floor, threatening to kill people?” Biden asked. “You saw what happened to Paul Pelosi, in the effort to get to Nancy. Well, guess what. What do Trump and all his Trumpies call them? He said they’re ‘patriots.'”

Trump called the attack on Pelosi’s husband a “sad situation” and a “terrible thing” but does not appear to have publicly called the Pelosi attacker a patriot, and a Trump spokesman pushed back on Biden’s claim to the contrary.

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“Joe Biden is clearly unwell,” said Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich. “Nothing he says makes sense, which presents a very sad reality for our country. America is a nation in decline, and we have never been in a weaker position, but, thankfully, the first opportunity to turn that around happens this Tuesday as a new wave of Trump-endorsed fighters are swept into office.

Trump has said that some of the people who took part in the Jan. 6th riot at the Capitol in 2021 were patriots who had gotten carried away in the act of protest.

Biden’s comments come less than a week after Paul Pelosi was violently attacked in San Francisco. While the motive for the assault remains uncertain, Democrats have been quick to claim that years of GOP criticism made Pelosi and her family targets.

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Biden said the violence was the direct result of Republican rhetoric that has inflamed political tensions.

“There’s too much political violence, there’s too much intimidation,” said Biden. “There are more than 300 election deniers on the Republican ticket this year for state, federal and local government.”

Biden made similar comments earlier this week during a Democratic National Committee event in Washington, D.C. Speaking to a room of party chieftains, Biden framed the upcoming midterms as a crucial moment for American democracy.

“We’re facing a defining moment,” said Biden. “We must with one overwhelming, unified voice speak, as a country and say there’s no place for voter intimidation or political violence in America.”

Recent polls show that voters are not buying the rhetoric amid 40-year high inflation. While Biden’s approval rating has rebounded in recent weeks, a Fox News poll this month found that Republicans lead Democrats among likely voters on the congressional preference ballot.

The same poll found that 89% of voters said they were extremely concerned about inflation and higher prices, while only 74% said the same about the nation’s lingering political divisions.

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“Joe Biden promised unity but has instead demonized and smeared Americans, while making life more expensive for all,” said Ronna Romney McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. “While Republicans remain focused on the issues that matter most to voters, Biden and Democrats are flailing in the final days, because they have lost touch with the concerns of families struggling to get by.”