Biden touts agenda, slams ‘MAGA Republicans’ at DNC rally

President Joe Biden stepped onto the campaign trail in the Washington, DC suburbs Thursday, kicking off a coast-to-coast political tour with a stump speech that painted a sharp contrast between Democrats and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.

Appearing at a Democratic National Committee “Build a Better America Rally” in a Rockville, Maryland, high school, the president touted his recent legislative and administrative accomplishments while pulling no punches about his view of the “Make America Great Again” political movement associated with his predecessor Donald Trump.

“We’re just 76 days away from the midterm election. Seventy-six days. And to state the obvious, there’s a lot at stake,” Biden, 79, told the crowd of supporters.

“Your right to choose is on the ballot this year. The Social Security you pay for from the time you had a job is on the ballot. The safety of your kids from gun violence is on the ballot. And it’s not hyperbole, the very survival of our planet is on the ballot.”

Biden highlighted accomplishments from the first 19 months of his term, taking credit for the nation’s recovery from the pandemic and pointing to the recent passage of his signature Inflation Reduction Act and a bipartisan gun control bill, which he vowed to take further with an assault weapon ban.

The president also reminded voters of his plan announced this week to forgive chunks of student loan debt for millions of Americans and also took a victory lap for the declining cost of gasoline over the past month.

“Even our critics have been forced to acknowledge real progress. A record of big accomplishments, matched by few administrations in history,” Biden said.

Biden also made a pitch to women to vote Democratic in protest of the GOP’s anti-abortion agenda in the wake of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.

He saved some of his most impassioned remarks to rally members of his base “Independents and mainstream Republicans” to turn out to the polls in November to fight off “extreme” Trumpian.

“We’re at a serious moment in our nation’s history. The MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and economic security, they’re a threat to our very democracy. They refuse to accept the will of the people, they embrace political violence.”

“What’s happened is there are not many real Republicans anymore … I respect conservative Republicans, I don’t respect these MAGA Republicans,” he said.

Democrats are looking to maintain control of the Senate and House in November while Republicans hope they can ride a wave of discontent with inflation and the economy to victory in the legislative chambers.

Biden kicked off the day of politicking by raising about $1 million from approximately 100 well-heeled donors at a private Bethesda home.

“We’re seeing now either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA agenda,” Biden said. “It’s not just Trump… It’s almost semi-fascism,” he told the crowd.

Biden’s speeches were buoyed by renewed optimism that have Democrats feeling on the offensive going into the midterms after a GOP sweep in Washington recently seemed all but assured.

Several months ago, the party’s agenda had stalled in Congress and inflation and gas prices was soaring faster than Biden’s poll numbers were plummeting.

With some economic stresses beginning to ease and many voters turned off by cascading abortion restrictions, Biden’ approval rating rebounded from a record low of 38% on July 22 to 44% earlier this week, according to Gallup polling.

Although the president remains unpopular, Biden pollster John Anzalone believes Democrats are “in a better position to compete because Joe Biden put us there.”

“It doesn’t mean that the wind’s at our back,” he added. “But we have more of a breeze than what felt like a gale hurricane in our face.”

With Post wires