The White House denounced supporters of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, accusing them of posing an “extremist threat to our democracy.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began the daily briefing by condemning Republican leaders for their dangerous rhetoric but also said that President Joe Biden believed supporters of former President Donald Trump were also a threat.
“Let me be very clear, it’s not just Republican leadership, it’s not just that blanket right?” she said to reporters. “He’s talking about an extreme portion, an extreme part of the party.”
Jean-Pierre previewed the president’s speech planned for Thursday about restoring the “soul of Democracy” and warned of “extreme” Republicans.
“When you are supporting an authoritarian figure, as we have seen, who is leading, currently leading, the former president, you know, and um saying and inciting the violence that you are or wanting to take our freedoms, you know we need to say something,” she said.
Jean Pierre asserted there was “more examples we can count” of Trump supporters and Republican leaders demonstrating their threats to democracy.
She specifically complained about Gov. Ron DeSantis for calling for Dr. Anthony Fauci to be “physically assaulted” when he said that “someone needs to grab that little elf and chuck him across the Potomac.”
She stressed that not all Republicans were dangerous to Democracy, pointing out the president’s flattering words about Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who she said was “not in that bucket” of Republicans who posed a threat.
