WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump, heading into a fall reelection campaign in which he is currently seen as the underdog, delivered a dark, foreboding nomination speech from the White House on Thursday night, saying if his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, is elected, “no one will be safe.”
Calling Biden, the former vice president, “weak” and suggesting he is a pawn for the progressive wing of his party despite evidence to the contrary, Trump said the Democratic contender would undermine constitutional protections, embolden “mob rule” and “be the destroyer of American greatness.”
“If the left gains power, they will demolish the suburbs, confiscate your guns and appoint justices who will wipe away your Second Amendment and other constitutional freedoms,” Trump said in a wide-ranging speech long on exaggerated claims and fear-mongering. He also claimed he responded decisively to the threat of coronavirus despite criticisms of his administration’s response and more than 180,000 deaths caused by the virus to date in the U.S.