When Joe Biden made the audacious claim that he desires to see ex-President Donald Trump incarcerated, it was swiftly twisted into political linguistics. Yet Trump interpreted it as a validation of his speculative assertions that the instigator of his legal tribulations is none other than the sitting president himself. Trump has consistently alleged, without any solid grounds, that the criminal charges he faces are Biden’s handiwork.
On hearing Biden’s contentious remark fuelled by disdain for his political career and not his freedom, Trump couldn’t help but see it as proof of his baseless belief. The former President had been implying that Biden was behind the four legal cases against him – a theory clearly lacking in any substantial evidence.
Biden’s comment came during a conversation with supporters at a New Hampshire Democratic office. Remarkably and audaciously, he exclaimed, ‘We’ve got to lock him up.’ Realizing the potential repercussions, Biden hastily altered his statement, stating his intent was to ‘politically lock him up.’
Trump, never one to miss an opportunity to assail Biden, took to criticizing the comment during his Georgia rally. With veiled hints of conspiracy, he proclaimed Biden’s words as a testament to ‘election interference.’ Trump went on to insinuate that Biden’s swift recantation was a face-saving strategy to evade a potential legal backlash.
Contrary to Trump’s contentious insinuations, there isn’t an iota of proof suggesting Biden or his team have any involvement in the indictments filed against the former President. Yet Trump persists in claiming his charges to be a manifestation of ‘election interference’ rather than the consequence of his actions.
Addressing a substantial crowd at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, Trump ranted about his predicament. ‘He said ‘we got to lock him up,’ he reiterated, disregarding the all-important context of Biden’s political nuance. ‘This is all it is. It’s illegal,’ he continued, demonstrating his clear evasion of accountability.
Until this point, Biden had maintained a noticeable silence regarding Trump’s legal woes. Yet, following Trump’s conviction on 34 felony charges in Manhattan in May, Biden didn’t hesitate to express his disdain for Trump’s attempts to undermine the justice system.
Biden went as far as denouncing Trump’s behavior as reckless, dangerous, and irresponsible. Trump’s incessant claims of a ‘rigged’ system just because the verdict didn’t swing his way are nothing but blatant attempts at delegitimizing the work of our institutions.
Nonetheless, Trump’s outrage at the thought of political prosecutions is hypocritical at best. Repeatedly during his third presidential campaign, he floated the idea of reprisals against his political adversaries. He spared no harsh words for Biden and his supporters, showcasing a clear desire for retaliation.
In 2016, Trump egged on the participants of his rallies to repeat a disparaging chant ‘lock her up,’ directed towards his then opponent, Hillary Clinton. As President, he continuously prompted the Justice Department to investigate people he viewed as enemies. This pressure invariably resulted in these individuals being subjected to federal scrutiny.
Nowadays, Trump conveniently disregards his past inflammatory remarks. He instead plays the victim card, weaving tales of an inconceivable witch hunt. At the Duluth rally, he drew parallels between himself and notorious gangster Al Capone, seemingly in awe of the scope of criminal charges he faces.
Returning to his unfounded claims, Trump reinstated his narrative of election interference. He continued to insist, against all reason, that Biden was the grand architect behind his legal troubles. ‘Believe it or not, Biden is behind it all,’ he declared, his allegations growing ever more audacious.
Highlighting a remark made by Biden, Trump lambasted the President. ‘With his senseless comment yesterday, he just proved that,’ he argued, continuing to peddle a narrative completely devoid of facts. His unwarranted and unverified provocations seem to find resonance only with a small subset of the population – those offended by Biden’s comment.
Despite everything, Trump remains steadfast in his effort to paint a negative image of his actions. It’s a rather tragic display of a man stubbornly refusing to accept the consequences of his actions, hiding behind unproven claims of a rigged system, and attempting to pin unjust blame on others.
Biden’s remark, whether hastily or thoughtfully spoken, was nonetheless about keeping Trump’s political ideologies at bay, not about putting him behind bars. His prompt clarification reiterated his intentions, casting Trump’s accusations as nothing more than baseless theories spun to stir controversy and perception.
In the end, this tale serves as a reminder of the deep chasms that political division can carve. Trump’s misguided obsession with blaming Biden for his legal troubles is a clear testament to the extent such divisions can blur truth and fan the flames of unfounded conspiracy theories.