Criticism Of Trump's Web Of Lies Threatens US Democracy, President Biden: He Can't Accept Defeat

JAKARTA - President Joe Biden on Thursday called his predecessor Donald Trump a continuing threat to the United States democracy, in a speech on the anniversary of the deadly attack on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC by supporters of Trump trying to reverse his 2020 election defeat.

Speaking in the white-domed building that was the site of the January 6, 2021 riots, President Biden warned Trump's false claims that the election was stolen from him, through widespread voter fraud, could expose the rule of law and undermine future elections.

"We have to be very clear about what is true and what is false. Here's the truth: A former president of the United States created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He did it because he values power over principle," President Biden said, citing Reuters 6 January.

"He can't accept that he lost," President Biden criticized.

Launching such a direct attack on Trump, even though President Biden never actually said his predecessor's name during a speech - was a different matter for the president, who has spent much of his first year in office focused on pursuing his own agenda rather than looking back.

But Democrats, a handful of Republicans, and many independent observers have warned that the damage done by Donald Trump's efforts to undermine confidence in the election he defeated by Biden remains.

"The former president and his supporters have decided the only way for them to win is to suppress your vote and topple our election," President Biden said.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, about 55 percent of Republican voters believe Trump's false claims, which are rejected by dozens of courts, state election departments and members of the Trump administration himself.

Accusing Trump of trying to perpetuate a "big lie," Biden said there was a "battle for the American soul" and a struggle at home and abroad between democratic forces and autocracies.

Trump said in a statement after the speech that President Biden "used my name today to try to divide America even further."

To note, four people died in the hours of chaos a year ago, which came after Trump urged his supporters to march to Capitol Hill. One police officer died a day after fighting rioters and four later died by suicide. About 140 police officers were injured.

US prosecutors have filed criminal charges against at least 725 people connected to the riots.

President Biden's remarks kicked off a series of events throughout the day that will also feature House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other legislative leaders, mostly Biden's Democrats. Biden's speech was broadcast live on all major US television networks.

Meanwhile, many Senate Republicans are planning to leave the state for the funeral of former Republican Senator Johnny Isakson.

On Tuesday, Trump scrapped plans to mark the anniversary with a press conference. He plans to speak instead on January 15 at a rally in Arizona.