Biden warns ‘we’re up against extremism’ in video marking Dobbs anniversary

Greg Nash
President Biden speaks during a campaign event with Vice President Harris in support of reproductive rights to mark the 51st anniversary of Roe vs. Wade at the Hylton Performance Center in Manassas, Va., on Tuesday, January 23, 2024.

The Biden campaign on Monday launched a full-fledged push to highlight two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, highlighted by a video in which President Biden cites former President Trump’s boasts about ending Roe.

“Here’s what Donald Trump says about your freedom: ‘After 50 years of failure with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade,'” Biden says in the video, quoting a May 2023 Truth Social post from Trump.

“Two years ago, the Supreme Court justices that Trump handpicked helped overturn Roe v. Wade,” Biden adds in the 45-second video published by his campaign.

“Decades of progress shattered just because the last guy got four years in the White House,” Biden continues.

The president goes on to warn “Roe is just the beginning” for Republicans, who he says could target birth control and IVF treatment and pursue a nationwide abortion ban.

“We’re up against extremism,” Biden adds. “Send me back to the White House, and I’ll fight like hell to restore Roe v. Wade and protect American freedom.”

Reproductive rights have been front and center politically in the two years since the conservative Supreme Court majority ended Roe v. Wade, with some states enshrining abortion rights and others enacting restrictive laws that effectively ban the procedure.

On the campaign trail, Trump has repeatedly taken credit for ending Roe v. Wade through his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices. But he has also declined to take a position on a federal limit for abortion, instead saying it should be left up to individual states to decide through legislation or referendum how to handle the procedure.

Democrats have repeatedly tied Trump to the restrictive abortion policies enacted in Texas, Florida and other conservative states, highlighting stories of women who have been unable to get proper health care as a result.

The Biden campaign has signaled it will use Monday’s two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade to draw further attention to the issue and blame Trump for the state of reproductive rights in the country.

“Donald Trump is the sole person responsible for this nightmare,” Biden said in a statement through his campaign. “For him, these cruel state bans are a ‘beautiful thing to watch’ — and they’re just beginning.”

While Biden will be in Camp David on Monday preparing for his upcoming debate against Trump, Vice President Harris will travel to Maryland and Arizona for remarks focused on the anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion.

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