The best indication that President Biden’s angry, divisive prime-time Speech Thursday night was going to be political came from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who insisted that it was not going to be a political speech.
At Thursday’s press briefing, the president’s outmatched spokesperson pushed the narrative that Republicans are pursuing “an extreme agenda that is not in line where a majority of Americans are, this coming from the same woman who recently referenced “the definition of fascism” while speaking about the tens of millions of Americans who voted for Donald Trump.
“The speech — just to give you a little bit about what the speech is going to be about — it’s going to be optimistic. He will speak about how he believes we can get through this current moment — this critical moment that we are currently in,” Jean Pierre said. “He believes this is a moment where a lot is at stake. You’ll hear him talk about the core values of what is at the stake in this moment, and how he is going to continue to protect equality and democracy.”
NOW – White House: "When you are not with what majority of Americans are, then you know, that is extreme. That is an extreme way of thinking." pic.twitter.com/MpiwE9bRlx
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 1, 2022
She added that Biden “will also talk about — in a very direct way about what he sees as a threat at this moment, before claiming MAGA Republicans “are threatening political violence, and they are attacking our democracy.”
“And so, the President is going to take this time to talk to the American people, who — the majority agree with him — and talk about how can we continue to fight for our democracy and do it in an optimistic way. Take that moment to give people hope.”
So much for optimism:
That was the most demagogic, outrageous, and divisive speech I have ever seen from an American president. Joe Biden essentially declared all those who oppose him and his agenda enemies of the republic. Truly shameful. pic.twitter.com/ZcJX2BbZlt
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) September 2, 2022
A reporter would later ask if the speech, dubbed “The Continued Battle for the Soul of the Nation,” was going to be political and while denying that it would be, Jean-Pierre could not have been more clear that the purpose of the speech was to influence voters in November
“No, it’s not a political speech,” the diversity hire said. “This is an opportunity, again, for the President to directly have a conversation with the American people. Look, he’s going to talk about — of course, he’ll talk about the importance of engagement. He’ll talk about voter participation.”
BIDEN: Karine Jean-Pierre claims President Biden’s primetime address to the nation tonight is ‘not a political speech.’ pic.twitter.com/lPRlKQ0I5E
— Forbes (@Forbes) September 1, 2022
“But this is a speech about such a broader subject: you know what it means to be a democracy and what it means to participate in our — in our democracy, given where we are as a nation. And he believes the stakes are very high and that it is important to go out and articulate what those stakes are and why it’s important for people to participate in their democracy and, at the end of the day, why it is worth fighting for.”
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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