Fighting talk: Fired-up Biden shows gloves are off against loser' Trump
The Guardian Weekly|January 12, 2024
This time it's personal. Last Friday Joe Biden tore into his predecessor Donald Trump as never before. He brimmed with anger, disdain and contempt. He apparently had to stop himself from swearing. So much for "when they go low, we go high" - and plenty of Democrats will be just fine with that.
David Smith
Fighting talk: Fired-up Biden shows gloves are off against loser' Trump

If Biden, 81, was seeking to jolt his half-conscious 2024 re-election campaign into life, this may have done the trick. The palpable loathing of Trump took a good 10 or 20 years off him. Keep hating like this and he might do a Benjamin Button all the way to election day.

Trump's failure to act as a violent mob stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, despite the pleas of staff and family members, was "among the worst derelictions of duty by a president in American history", Biden said, noting that Trump went on to lose 60 court cases that took him back to the truth "that I had won the election and he was a loser".

It was a jab to the ribs, since Trump hates nothing more than being branded a "loser".

The president went on to recall how Trump has called the insurrectionists "patriots" and claimed there was a "lot of love" on 6 January. At that, Biden shook his head, blinked and let out a gasp of disbelief, as if stunned anew by the assertion. "The rest of the nation, including law enforcement, saw a lot of hate and violence," he said.

This story is from the January 12, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 12, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIAN WEEKLYView All
Ours is an age of confusion. How should we navigate it? Timothy Garton Ash
The Guardian Weekly

Ours is an age of confusion. How should we navigate it? Timothy Garton Ash

In these times of planetary polycrisis, we try to get our bearings by looking to the past. Are we perhaps in The New Cold War, as Robin.

time-read
4 mins  |
May 10, 2024
The world according to Jason
The Guardian Weekly

The world according to Jason

Covid vaccines, chemtrails, the Great Reset... Why do people invent false conspiracies when there are so many real ones to worry about? There's only one way to find out: George Monbiot asked a believer from his home town

time-read
10+ mins  |
May 10, 2024
From a small step for man to a giant gold rush for mankind
The Guardian Weekly

From a small step for man to a giant gold rush for mankind

If the 20th-century space race was about political power, this century's will be about money. But for those who dream of sending humans back to the moon and possibly Mars, it's an exciting time to be alive whether it's presidents or billionaires paying the fare.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 10, 2024
A bitter pill Inside the anti-doping movement's civil war
The Guardian Weekly

A bitter pill Inside the anti-doping movement's civil war

Furore over Chinese swimmers has sparked an ugly dispute between organisations that target athletes who use banned substances

time-read
5 mins  |
May 10, 2024
Museum of Yoruba life is custommade for Lagos
The Guardian Weekly

Museum of Yoruba life is custommade for Lagos

Opposite the Nigerian National Museum in central Lagos, a swimming pool and a memorial hall once stood as an integral part of the city, a popular congregation point that evoked a sense of pride.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 10, 2024
First steps for Nutbush Quest goes on for origin of line dance
The Guardian Weekly

First steps for Nutbush Quest goes on for origin of line dance

For 50 years, Australian primary school students have been learning the steps to a dance that will carry them through social events and weddings and allow them to locate other Australians across crowded nightclubs anywhere in the world.

time-read
3 mins  |
May 10, 2024
Press freedom How political attacks are rising globally
The Guardian Weekly

Press freedom How political attacks are rising globally

Political attacks on press freedom, including the detention of journalists, suppression of independent media outlets and widespread dissemination of misinformation, have significantly intensified in the past year, according to the annual World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

time-read
2 mins  |
May 10, 2024
Rio reporters risking all to shine light on the city's underworld
The Guardian Weekly

Rio reporters risking all to shine light on the city's underworld

A brutal killing in 2018 has inspired journalists to probe the links between police, politicians and mafia

time-read
3 mins  |
May 10, 2024
Is great ape tourism to blame for killing off chimps?
The Guardian Weekly

Is great ape tourism to blame for killing off chimps?

Viruses that only cause common colds in humans are devastating populations of chimpanzees and gorillas

time-read
5 mins  |
May 10, 2024
Dig for disaster Calls to move to centre or right won't help Sunak out of this hole
The Guardian Weekly

Dig for disaster Calls to move to centre or right won't help Sunak out of this hole

As terrible council and mayoral results rolled in for the Conservatives last Friday, was there any part of Rishi Sunak that regretted sealing Boris Johnson's fate as prime minister by resigning as his chancellor less than two years ago?

time-read
2 mins  |
May 10, 2024