MAGA verges on fascism, says Joe Biden

The president seeks to build on growing energy in the party, which believes it can fend off a GOP victory on November 8.

Joe Biden rallies the faithful at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland. on Thursday. Picture: AFP

Joe Biden told Democrats at a rally on Thursday that they need to save the country from the “semi-fascism” of Donald Trump’s Republicans and keep control of congress in the coming midterm elections.

Speaking to hundreds of party faithful in Maryland, the President sought to build on growing energy in the party, which believes it can fend off a threatened Republican victory in the November 8 vote.

Casting the Republicans under the former president’s sway as a party of “anger, violence, hate and division”, Mr Biden said: “We’ve chosen a different path forward – the future of unity, hope and optimism. This fall there will be a choice between these two visions. We must take our case to the American people and be crystal clear about it.”

Earlier, in remarks ahead of the speech, Mr Biden likened Mr Trump’s Make America Great Again brand as “extreme”.

“It’s not just Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the – I’m going to say something, it’s like semi-fascism,” he said.

Just weeks ago, Democrats were in the doldrums. With Mr Biden’s approval ratings below 40 per cent and the party seemingly unable to close the deal on a series of election promises, there were widespread expectations that the Republicans would easily take control of at least one chamber of congress.

A dramatic August, however, has sown the seeds of what some Democrats hope will be a political miracle, with their party holding the Senate and at minimum mitigating the size of the Republican win in the House of Representatives.

The Maryland rally came on the heels of a spate of legislative wins in Congress, coupled with fury among many Americans over the conservative-dominated Supreme Court’s ruling to end automatic nationwide abortion access rights.

Mr Biden warned that Republicans would seek to outlaw abortion completely if they control congress but said the issue was galvanising “the powerful force” of female voters.

Just Wednesday, he made his latest move, announcing millions of voters will be eligible to have between $US10,000 and $US20,000 cancelled from their often crippling student debt – a longtime demand from Democrat supporters.

The average of baseline polls asking which party should control congress has shifted from months where the Republicans led to a narrow 44-43.6 per cent advantage for the Democrats.

AFP