President Biden delivered a scathing condemnation of former President Donald J. Trump, his potential opponent in the 2024 election, during a speech at a community college in Pennsylvania. On the eve of the third anniversary of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, Biden warned that Trump had directed an insurrection and would seek to dismantle the foundations of American democracy if he were to regain power.

In an intensely personal address, Biden compared Trump to autocratic leaders who rule through lies and authoritarianism. He accused Trump of failing the fundamental test of American leadership, which is to trust the people to choose their elected officials and respect their decisions. Biden emphasized the importance of the upcoming election, framing it as a choice between a candidate dedicated to upholding America's longstanding ideals and a disruptive force willing to discard them for personal gain. He urged his supporters to prepare to vote in the fall and asked, "We all know who Donald Trump is. The question is: Who are we?"

Biden's sharp criticism of his rival demonstrated the high stakes his campaign believes are at play in the 2024 election, as well as his own precarious political position. With low approval ratings, unfavorable polling against Trump, concerns about his age, and lingering economic worries, Biden is increasingly relying on the figure who has proven to be the Democrats' most effective motivator. Trump, responding at a campaign rally in Iowa, dismissed Biden's comments as "pathetic fearmongering" and accused him of "abusing George Washington's legacy."

Biden's speech echoed his messaging from the 2020 campaign, where he positioned himself as the protector of America's soul against a Trump presidency that he and Democratic supporters argued would cause lasting harm to the country. The 31-minute address marked Biden's first public campaign event since announcing his intention to seek re-election in April and was his most forceful denunciation of Trump since their rivalry began in 2019. By delivering this speech, Biden aimed to rally the sprawling anti-Trump coalition that has propelled Democrats to recent victories and convince them that the 2024 election is another national emergency.

Biden began his speech by extensively recounting Trump's actions leading up to, during, and after the January 6 attack. He emphasized the importance of not allowing Trump and his supporters to distort the events of that day or spread falsehoods about the violent outcome of their attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. Upholding democracy, Biden declared, is the central mission of his presidency. He contrasted his own commitment to denouncing political violence with Trump's refusal to do so, asserting that one cannot be both pro-insurrectionist and pro-American.