Biden Slams Trump As A Threat To Democracy After Jan. 6

President Joe Biden has accused predecessor Donald Trump of posing a continuing threat to democracy on Thursday, the anniversary of the deadly attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters who tried to overturn his election defeat, Andy Sullivan and Richard Cowan reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the ceremony marking the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection.

But Biden, his fellow Democrats, and a few of the former president's fellow Republicans warn that the damage he did before the riot - in a fiery speech in which he falsely claimed that his loss was the result of widespread fraud - lingers on.

According to Reuters/Ipsos polling, some 55% of Republican voters believe Trump's false claim, which was rejected by dozens of courts, state election departments, and members of Trump's own administration. Biden will address that issue in remarks at the Capitol.

"Are we going to be a nation where we allow partisan election officials to overturn the legally expressed will of the people? Are we going to be a nation that lives not by the light of the truth but in the shadow of lies?" Biden said.

"We cannot allow ourselves to be that kind of nation. The way forward is to recognize the truth and to live by it."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday said that while the Capitol building is better fortified than it was a year ago, democracy remains vulnerable. "The insurrection will not be an aberration. It well could become the norm" unless Congress addresses "the root causes" of Jan. 6 through election reforms, Democrat Schumer said.

Four people died in the hours-long chaos, while one police officer died the day after battling rioters, and four later died by suicide. Around 140 police officers were injured. One of the officers at the scene, Sergeant Harry Dunn of the Capitol Police, said the attack took an emotional toll.

"You cannot get away from Jan. 6 even if you're trying to. It's everywhere, especially if it's your place of work," Dunn said in a phone interview. "Accountability needs to be had, no matter who that comes at. I don't care who it is."

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