- US President Joe Biden criticized the 'semi-fascism' underpinning MAGA 'philosophy' on Thursday.
- Biden was making a campaign speech ahead of the 2022 midterms in Rockville, Maryland.
During a campaign stop in Maryland, US President Joe Biden offered a more pointed critique of MAGA beyond its leader, former President Donald Trump.
At a party fundraising reception ahead of a rally in Rockville, Maryland, Biden said, "What we're seeing now is either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy," according to The Washington Post.
"It's not just Trump, it's the entire philosophy that underpins the — I'm going to say something — it's like semi-fascism," he said, per reports.
The rally that followed in a high school gym, kicked off his campaigning ahead of the 2022 midterms, which will decide the control of the House of Representatives and the Senate — and therefore much of his agenda in the next two years.
At the rally, he continued to hammer "MAGA Republicans" referring to Trump's slogan.
"The MAGA Republicans don't just threaten our personal rights and economic security," Biden said. "They're a threat to our very democracy. They refuse to accept the will of the people. They embrace — embrace — political violence. They don't believe in democracy."
But while he went after Trump's influence on the GOP, he made overtures to "those of you who love this country — Democrats, independents, mainstream Republicans" later saying he "respects conservative Republicans."
Biden also touted his administration's recent accomplishments, including a bipartisan gun control bill and the Inflation Reduction Act aimed at healthcare, climate change, and taxes.
In response, the RNC in a statement to CNN called Biden's speech "despicable."