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United States President Joe Biden has told campaign donors that he was not sure he would be running for re-election if Donald Trump was not also in the race, warning that democracy is "more at risk in 2024" and that the former president and his allies are out to "destroy" democratic institutions.
Key points:
- Joe Biden has warned that American democracy "is at stake" in the upcoming US presidential election
- Former president Donald Trump has called Mr Biden the "destroyer of American democracy"
- Mr Biden is pushing to raise money for his re-election effort before the end of the year
The president was using a trio of fundraisers to caution against what might happen should his predecessor again claim control of the White House, noting that Mr Trump has described himself as his supporters' "retribution" and has vowed to root out "vermin" in the country.
"We've got to get it done, not because of me. If Trump wasn't running I'm not sure I'd be running. We cannot let him win," Mr Biden said, hitting the last words slowly for emphasis.
Mr Biden's forceful rhetoric came as Mr Trump, the current GOP front-runner, who tried to overturn the 2020 election he lost and is facing criminal charges connected to those efforts, attempted over the weekend to turn the tables by calling Mr Biden the "destroyer of American democracy".
Mr Trump on Tuesday was asked by Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity to promise he "would never abuse power as retribution against anybody".
"Except for day one," Mr Trump responded.
"I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill.
"After that, I'm not a dictator."
Mr Biden's campaign quickly seized on the comments with an email that read, "Donald Trump: Day One Dictator".
Later, Mr Biden was asked by reporters whether he would be running if Mr Trump wasn't and gave a slightly different comment, saying, "I expect so, but look, he is running and I have to run".
He was asked if he would drop out if Mr Trump did and said, "No, not now".
Mr Biden, who said he was not alone in sounding the alarm over Mr Trump, noted that he was the "only losing candidate" in US history to not accept the results.
Mr Biden also said that on January 6, 2021, as Trump supporters violently stormed the US Capitol in a failed attempt to stop the certification of the election results, Mr Trump sat in his dining room just off the Oval Office, "watching them threaten his own vice president".
Mr Biden also highlighted recent warnings about Trump from former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, calling her a "powerful voice".
"American democracy, I give you my word as a Biden, is at stake," the president said at the first of three campaign fundraisers in the Boston area.
Drawing some laughter from donors, Mr Biden also mused: "He didn't even show up at my inauguration. I can't say I was disappointed, but he didn't even show up."
The warnings by the president are increasingly part of his pitch to donors: that democracy is at stake if Mr Trump were to win again and he must be defeated.
He is pushing to raise money for his re-election effort before the end of the year, appearing at seven events through to Monday — with more to come. The events in Boston on Tuesday benefit his campaign and the broader Democratic Party.
They included an evening event in the city's theatre district featuring a concert by singer-songwriter James Taylor, who helped kick off a White House event in 2022 celebrating the Inflation Reduction Act, a climate and health care bill that Mr Biden signed into law.
Onstage, Mr Biden joked to the packed theatre audience that he wouldn't be long because he knew he was "the only thing standing" between the audience and the performance by Taylor.
"We're always going to defend, protect and fight for democracy," he said. "That's why I'm running."
November was the campaign's strongest grassroots fundraising month since Mr Biden formally announced last April that he was seeking a second term, according to a campaign official who insisted on anonymity to discuss campaign finances before details are made public. The numbers will be released in January.
In October, Mr Biden and the Democratic National Committee reported raising more than $US71 million ($A107 million) for his re-election in the three months ending September 30, a sign that donors remained behind him going into the 2024 presidential race.
He had only political events on his public schedule for Tuesday, which is rare. Presidents who are running for re-election typically include an official event, like a policy speech, on the schedule to help defray costs for their campaign.
AP
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