As President Joe Biden excoriates millions of Americans as "MAGA Republicans" "extremists," "semi-fascists" and threats to democracy -- something he's likely to do again tonight in his so-called "soul of the nation" speech -- former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says Biden's sneering insults stem from "terror."

Gingrich, speaking to Fox News Wednesday night, noted that more than 70 million Americans voted for Donald Trump in the last election.

"To have a president of the United States characterize half of his country in the way that Joe Biden does is the greatest act of aggression by an American president against his own people that we have ever seen. It's truly an astonishing moment. It doesn't fit any of our prior history," Gingrich said.

"And I keep telling my friends, do not assume anything based on past precedent, because you're now dealing with people who are terrified.

"I mean, if you're the senior FBI or you're the White House and you're looking at the potential of a Republican-controlled House and Senate, and you realize all of your emails, all of your meetings, everything that you've been doing could suddenly become public and your entire career could be destroyed and you might end up in jail -- I mean, you're going to do everything you can to try to guarantee that the Republicans can't win this fall, because you're terrified of what a Republican Congress would be like."