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Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison on Sunday said that President Biden was being “consistent” when calling the MAGA philosophy linked to former President Donald Trump “semi-fascism” despite Biden’s own past calls for lowering the temperature on harsh rhetoric.
Harrison appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” when he was asked about the president’s recent language and how it fits with the unifying message of treating each other with dignity and respect that he made during his inaugural address.
“Well, the one thing that President Joe Biden has been is always been consistent,” Harrison said. “He has always been somebody who does what my grandfather used to do, which is speak it plain, say it plain to the American people.”
Biden’s “semi-fascism” remark came during a fundraiser Thursday in Maryland, where he commented on what he called the “extreme MAGA philosophy.”
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Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said that he believed Biden was being “consistent” with his remarks. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“What we’re seeing now is either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy,” Biden said. “It’s not just Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the — I’m going to say something, it’s like semi-fascism.”
Some within the Democratic Party and Biden’s own administration have jumped to his defense including White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and DNC senior adviser Cedric Richmond, who appeared on “Fox News Sunday.”
“Well, I think he’s very clear about it,” Richmond said when asked about the comments. “That he’s drawing a comparison to a party that wants to unite us, a party that’s worried about families and what they’re dealing with and a party that is still litigating the 2020 election.”
Cedric Richmond previously served as senior advisor to the President Biden and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
When asked about reconciling Biden’s past remarks on cooling off harsh rhetoric with his most recent comment, Richmond said that the president “works across the aisle all the time and gets criticized for it.”
Richmond pointed to Biden’s recent signings of bills on infrastructure, veterans’ health benefits and the CHIPS and Science bill as legislation that has passed with bipartisan support.
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Richmond went on to note what he called “the difference” between Biden and Trump.
“This President [Joe Biden] focuses on people and their families, not himself,” he said. “So, we will work with Republicans, will work with Democrats, and I think [Biden’s] shown that over and over again.”
