U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the 29th AFL-CIO Four-Year Constitutional Convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, U.S., June 14, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Chairperson Joe Biden had a message for lawmakers defending the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol when he advertised his Safer America Plan on Tuesday.
“Let me say this to my ‘MAGA Republican’ friends in Congress,” the president said, referring to former President Donald’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan Trump. “Don’t tell me to assist law enforcement if you don’t condemn what happened on Friday.”
“For God’s sake, whose side are you on?” Biden is added.
Biden reminded lawmakers as he called for more police funding in front of a crowd at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Investing in community policing and crime prevention is key policy components of his Safer America Planand Biden appeal to the community use federal funds to supplement local police as early as May.
The president also criticized Trump supporters in the GOP for seeing the cover as a “law and order” party while defending insurgents who attacked Capitol Police and Metro Police officers.
“You can’t support law enforcement and support insurrection,” he said. “You can’t be a party of law and order and call the people who attacked the police on January 6 patriots. You can’t do that.”
Biden recently slammed “MAGA Philosophy” was “akin to semi-fascism,” angering the Republican National Committee. RNC spokesman Nathan Brand called the president’s remarks “despicable”.
Biden also continued his pledge to ban assault weapons, saying that America’s lax gun laws contributed to the mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas; Newtown, Connecticut; Buffalo, New York and several other places.
“It’s time to hold every elected official to the fire and ask them, ‘Do you ban assault weapons? Yes or no?” The answer is no, vote against them,” he said.
Biden ended his speech by asking the crowd to vote for Governor of Pennsylvania and Democratic senatorial candidate John Fetterman. Fetterman is running against Trump-backed candidate, Dr. Mehmet Oz in a high publicity race.
The president is plan to return to Pennsylvania on Thursday for a keynote address on the “ongoing fight for the soul of the nation” at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.
