Montage: Media gushes over Biden speech on MAGA threats to democracy
MSNBC and CNN media figures praised the president’s speech and agreed with his assessments about Trump officials and their supporters.
Left-leaning media outlets CNN and MSNBC praised President Biden’s primetime speech, agreeing that so-called MAGA Republicans are a looming threat to American democracy.
Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson compared Biden’s speech to past wartime addresses in which U.S. presidents preached about freedom.
"He framed this as an emergency," Robinson said. "As something that we as a nation need to bond together to stop and to reverse—and to return to our democratic principles and our democratic practices. And to me, it was an urgent wartime address."
MSNBC historian Michael Beschloss made a similar comment when he spoke about "historical parallels" between Biden’s speech and other major points in American history. He then referenced 1860, when the U.S. was on the verge of Civil War, and 1940, shortly before the U.S. entered World War II.
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U.S. President Joe Biden, protected by bulletproof glass, delivers remarks on what he calls the "continued battle for the Soul of the Nation" in front of Independence Hall at Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, U.S., September 1, 2022. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
"I’m not suggesting that this year is the equivalent, except for in one respect. That is, if, you know, a historian from 50 years from now were to go back and visit America in 2022, the overwhelming question is, are we going to have a democracy in a year or two?" Beschloss asked.
On a separate MSNBC segment, Beschloss appeared again to talk about Biden’s speech. He revealed that, as one of several historians who spoke with Biden last month, he warned him about crises facing democracy in the U.S. He recalled telling the president that the state of democracy was similar to 1860 and 1940.
"He realized that this is a historic moment and what you heard I think comes out of that," Beschloss said.
On CNN, left-wing White House correspondent John Harwood declared Biden's argument to be "true." Not long after his on-air appearance Friday, Harwood announced he was leaving the network.
"The core point he made in that political speech about a threat to democracy is true," Harwood said. "That’s something that’s not easy for us, as journalists, to say. We’re brought up to believe there’s two different political parties with different points of view, and we don’t take sides in honest disagreements between them. But that’s not what we’re talking about. These are not honest disagreements. The Republican Party right now is led by a dishonest demagogue."
Natasha Lindstaedt, a professor of government at The University of Essex, agreed on CNN with Biden’s speech and claimed that Trump’s movement is the "biggest threat" to U.S. democracy since the Civil War.
President Biden gives a speech on protecting American democracy in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 1st, 2022. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Several other media figures hyped up Biden’s speech, with one CNN reporter questioning what could have been more "pro-USA" than the president’s words.
"He almost seemed to be kind of reclaiming patriotism," CNN national politics reporter Eva McKend said. "Often you here Republicans argue that they are the pro-America party, right? The Democrats are not patriotic enough, but what was more pro-USA than this speech?"
Journalist Katty Kay said on MSNBC that it was "quite the moment" for Biden to speak on the issue, because it affirms what she has been hearing all summer from Americans, "this country’s democracy cannot be taken for granted."
The White House has insisted that Biden’s speech was not a political speech or a campaign speech, despite partisan attacks and calls for Americans to vote. Critics jumped on the president for the presence of two Marines, who were silhouetted behind blood-red light projected off of Independence Hall. A number of reporters and critics argued Biden was using the Marines as props.
But, MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle seemed to disagree, appearing to mock those angered by the military presence.
Philadelphia, USA- September 1st: President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden arrive ahead of a speech on protecting American democracy in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 1st, 2022. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
"This speech I keep hearing, ‘oh that was political, it was a campaign speech, he broke from norms’ standing in front of Marines. Didn’t we break from that years ago?" Ruhle asked Tim Miller, a contributor to The Bulwark.
On Thursday, Biden declared many American citizens who support Trump "do not respect the Constitution" and may support violence to achieve political ends.
"Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic," Biden said. "MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of the law. They do not recognize the will of the people. They refuse to accept the results of a free election."
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Biden said he does not think "every Republican, not even a majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans." But, he said, the GOP overall is "dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans."
Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.