Amidst the accusations, the battle lines are drawn with each side pointing fingers and framing their opponent’s actions as undermining the democratic process.
The claim that former President Donald Trump and the GOP pose a grave “threat to democracy” has been a recurring theme in Democratic discourse ahead of the 2024 elections.
However, several prominent Republicans and experts argue that it is the Democratic Party under President Biden’s leadership that is actively working to erode the foundations of the democratic system.
To bolster their case, critics highlight various actions by Democrats that they argue pose a more serious threat to democracy than the events of January 6.
One key point of contention is the Democrats’ efforts to keep Trump off the ballot, imprison him, stifle free speech on social media and rewrite election laws while opposing measures designed to protect ballot integrity.
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel emphasized how Democrats exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to make abrupt changes to longstanding election laws and she accused them of advocating for non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections.
“Democrats cynically used the COVID-19 pandemic to radically undermine long-standing election laws on the fly and then started pushing for non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections,” Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Fox News Digital.
“Now the left is working to remove political opponents from the ballot in a shocking display of disregard for the American people’s right to choose their candidates.”
“These attacks on the democratic process drive down voter confidence and trust in the electoral system. Meanwhile, the RNC and our partners are fighting to make sure the American people choose their presidential candidates, not the courts,” she said.
Concerns about censorship also feature prominently in the criticism against the Biden administration.
The accusation is that the administration collaborated with Big Tech platforms to police social media posts potentially violating Americans’ First Amendment rights.
This issue led the Supreme Court to review a court-ordered ban on certain communications between the Biden administration and Big Tech, with allegations that the collaboration occurred under the pretext of combating misinformation.
Critics, including legal scholar Jonathan Turley raise questions about the Biden administration’s actions targeting individual Americans, such as Catholic church-goers parents expressing concerns at school board meetings, and lower-income Americans through the hiring of thousands of new IRS agents.
These actions critics argue represent an overreach and a threat to the democratic principles of free expression and individual liberties.
As the Democrats intensify efforts to prevent Trump’s political resurgence, concerns are emerging within the party itself.
Former Biden official Tim Wu, now a professor at Columbia University expressed reservations about using undemocratic means to combat candidate Trump warning that such tactics could jeopardize the very foundations of democracy.