President Biden referred to defeated former Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe as the state’s “real governor” on Tuesday — even as Biden has made Donald Trump’s failure to accept the results of their 2020 presidential election a focus of his re-election bid.
“Hello, Virginia! And the real governor, Terry McAuliffe,” the 81-year-old president said, gesturing to McAuliffe as Biden began a campaign speech in Manassas that focused on abortion rights.
Virginia’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, who defeated McAulliffe in 2021 by 2 percentage points, tweeted Tuesday afternoon that he is the real deal.
“Mr. President, I’m here,” Youngkin wrote.
Youngkin’s spokesman, Rob Damschen add on X, “There are only two options here: Either the President doesn’t know who the current Governor of Virginia is, or he denies the results of the 2021 Virginia election.”
In an email blast, Youngkin’s political office said, “Joe Biden – underwater among Virginians by 17 points according to a recent poll – came to the Commonwealth today to voice the denial of the election.”
President Biden referred to Terry McAuliffe as the “real governor” of Virginia on Tuesday. Reuters
The Republican National Committee also tweeted a video of the event caption“Joe Biden’s Rejection of the Election.”
A White House official insisted that Biden did not deny the results of the Virginia election.
“The president made a joke about McAuliffe’s previous term as governor,” the official told The Post in a statement. “He congratulated Governor Youngkin on his election right out of the gate and has been working across the aisle with him ever since.”
McAuliffe was governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018 and chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment — as Republicans accused Biden of hypocrisy.
Terry McAuliffe was the governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. Getty Images
Conservative activist Jenny Beth Martin asked on social media whether “this means it is acceptable to [media] and Dems say, ‘The real president is Donald Trump,’ since Biden implied [Youngkin is] not the real governor?”
Biden made Trump’s refusal to accept his defeat in 2020, which culminated in the 2021 Capitol riots, the centerpiece of the Democratic 2022 congressional campaign effort and delivered his first 2024 campaign speech on the topic.
Biden returned to criticism of Trump later in his speech on Tuesday, arguing that voters need to “defend democracy” from the former president.
“I believe 2024 will be the most important election we have had since 1864, I mean it. And the reason is clear. Democracy is on the ballot. Freedom is in the vote,” Biden said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
