Biden to address threats to democracy in major speech before midterms


President Biden will deliver a big speech on democracy at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, less than one week out from the highly-consequential midterm elections.
"The president will address the threat of election deniers and those who seek to undermine faith in voting and democracy; and the stakes for our democracy in next week's election," the Democratic National Committee said in a statement, per Axios.
Viewers can expect Biden to repeat rhetoric similar to that of the last several months: "There is a lot at stake, including democracy, and that everyone has a role in that," White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O'Malley Dillon said Wednesday, per Axios and NBC News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Senior Adviser Anita Dunn also highlighted the speech's setting — near the U.S. Capitol — as integral to its message. Biden will be "making the speech from Capitol Hill ... [b]ecause on Jan. 6 we saw violence geared toward subverting the democratic processes so it's an appropriate place to make these remarks tonight," Dunn said.
Though the president has been mulling such an address for a while, the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, as well as the presumed signs that some Republican officials might not accept the results of the election, has "added to the urgency," NBC News writes.
Further, Biden will also underscore the time it might take to count votes in certain battleground states, per O'Malley Dillon.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’
Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailout
Talking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland