Sunday Talk Shows

DNC chair avoids criticizing Biden calling GOP philosophy ‘semi-fascist’

DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison speaks during a Democrat National Committee grassroots event at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md., on Thursday, August 25, 2022.

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Jaime Harrison avoided criticizing President Biden for his remarks in which he referred to the Republican party’s philosophy as “semi-fascist.” 

During an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation,” guest moderator Major Garrett asked Harrison whether he embraced the president’s assessment.

“Well, it’s not about the embracing –  its calling what what it is what it is, in the end of the day, we are a country built on freedom. And when you chip away at that, when you see the bullying that takes place in place like Florida with [Gov. Ron] DeSantis, when you see them chip away at privacy rights when they try to demonize the other, that the attacks on transgender kids and their families, the attacks on marriage equality that we’re hearing from the Supreme Court,” Harrison said.

“This is not who America is. We’re about freedom and rights for all of America’s people, not just a select few. But the Republicans are turning a blind eye  – this extreme agenda, and this is what this election is all about,” he added. “It is the great contrast between a party, the Democratic Party, that is standing up for the hopes and aspirations of the American people and protecting our rights as Americans and our freedoms. And a Republican party that is focused on fear, that’s focused on fraud that is focused on just getting power.”

Speaking at a DNC event in Maryland on Thursday, Biden compared the “MAGA” wing of the GOP to fascism, telling the audience in Bethesda that this is only “the beginning” or “the end” of this type of philosophy. 

When asked if Biden should run for re-election in 2024, Harrison said the DNC would fully back the president.

“The President has consistently said that his intention is to run for president in the United States. And I can tell you, the Democratic National Committee will be fully behind- behind him and Kamala Harris. This President has a record of achievement, and America needs President Biden to continue that effort,” Harrison said.