In the weeks preceding the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump Saturday evening, President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders heightened their rhetoric against the former president, warning that Trump could become a dictator if allowed to retake the White House.
"Donald Trump is a genuine threat to this nation," Biden remarked during a campaign rally in North Carolina in late June. "He is a threat to our freedom. He is a threat to our democracy. He’s literally a threat for everything America stands for."
Days later, during a Wisconsin rally, the president stated, "I mean what I said: We cannot let Trump win. No, I mean, that’s not hyperbole. We can’t. This is the most dangerous election in American history."