Biden unloads on ‘sick, loser’ Trump on anniversary of Capitol riots

Iowa: US President Joe Biden has kick-started the election year with a dire warning about Donald Trump’s “campaign of revenge” to return to power, using his first major speech of 2024 to frame the contest as a fresh test for American democracy.

In a searing address marking the third anniversary of the January 6 Capitol attack, Biden sought to shift the focus away from his own political woes and place it squarely on his predecessor, who is on the verge of winning the Republican nomination to run for the White House again in November.

US President Joe Biden speaks in Pennsylvania to kickstart the campaign year and mark the third anniversary of the January 6 riots. Credit: AP

Speaking in the battleground state of Pennsylvania as Trump rallied supporters in Iowa, Biden warned Americans that Trump’s previous attempts to overthrow the election result were just the beginning. He attacked the former president as a “denier in chief” and a “loser” who “wanted an all-out war”.

“Trump’s assault on democracy isn’t just part of his past. It’s what he’s promising for the future. He’s been straightforward. He’s not hiding the ball,” Biden said, highlighting Trump’s recent comments about being a dictator “on day one” and references to immigrants “poisoning the blood” of America.

“We all know who Donald Trump is. The question is: who are we?”

The 30-minute speech was by far Biden’s most forceful rebuke of Trump since it became clear that the pair were on the path for a potential rematch of the 2020 election.

At one point, the president almost veered off script as he recounted how Trump had made jokes at one of his rallies about former speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband being violently attacked in their home in 2022.

“He thinks that’s funny. He laughed about it. What a sick…” Biden said, his voice trailing off and his fists clenched angrily as he managed to stop himself from swearing on stage.

Biden, however, also has his share of challenges heading into the election, with record low approval ratings, widespread dissent over his stance on Gaza, and voters – including many Democrats – believing the 81-year-old is too old and unfit to serve another term.

“Wait, NOTHING about the economy, the southern border, crime in our streets, or the global chaos created by Joe Biden,” Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Biden knows he’s in a tail spin and there’s nothing he can do about it.”

Trump, meanwhile, spent the day holding rallies in Iowa ahead of the Republican presidential primaries, which begin with the Iowa caucuses on January 15.

Despite facing 91 criminal charges and multiple trials, the 77-year-old is currently the overwhelming frontrunner to win his party’s nomination ahead of his two main rivals, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.

In another sign that this year’s election will play out largely in the legal system, the US Supreme Court on Saturday (AEDT) agreed to a request by Trump to review Colorado’s contentious decision to remove him from its Republican primary ballot.

Colorado’s top court had ruled last month that Trump had incited an insurrection and was therefore disqualified from office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, prompting him to appeal. He has long insisted he did not incite an insurrection, and told supporters on the campaign trail that he would pardon many of the January 6 rioters if he won another term in the White House.

Supporters pray before former president Donald Trump speaks in Sioux Centre, Iowa on Friday.Credit: AP

In his speech, Biden hit out at Trump’s actions on the day of the Capitol attack, and his ongoing election denialism.

“Let’s be clear: Trump exhausted every legal avenue available to him to overturn the election - every one - but the legal path just took Trump back to the truth: that I had won the election, and he was a loser,” Biden said.

“Today, I make this sacred pledge to you. The defence, protection and preservation of American democracy will remain as it has been: the central cause of my presidency. As we begin this election year, we must be clear, democracy is on the ballot. Your freedom is on the ballot”.

Speaking in Sioux Centre, Iowa, Trump hit back by accusing Biden of “staging a pathetic, fearmongering campaign”. He also claimed it was the Democrats who had damaged democracy by “weaponising the government” and using federal law authorities to thwart his campaign.

Earlier, New York state Attorney-General Letitia James asked the judge overseeing Trump’s civil fraud trial to fine him $US370 million ($552 million) and prevent him from ever doing business again in that state.

Further elements of the New York case – in which Trump, his sons, and the wider Trump Organisation have been found to have massively exaggerated the value of their properties to secure favourable loans – are to be decided within weeks.

Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing and has accused James and Judge Arthur Engoron of being Democratic Party hacks trying to interfere with his election prospects.

“Our founding fathers would be turning in their graves if they could see this,” Trump said. “No American should be okay with a political party being weaponised against their enemies.

“How much longer can we allow this to happen in our country? And all of this is being done because we’re beating them so badly at the polls.”

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.