For a long time, he avoided even speaking his name in public.

But now the Joe Biden hardens the tone against his predecessor, characterizing his rhetoric as authoritarian and accusing him of using a vocabulary reminiscent of “Germany in the 1930s”.

Republican former President Donald Trump “definitely supported insurgency, there’s no doubt about that, absolutely no doubt,” the Democratic incumbent, 81, who is also seeking a second term, said Wednesday.

She was referring to the actions of her predecessor when his rampaging supporters stormed the federal Capitol on January 6, 2021.

For a long time, the occupant of the White House treated Donald Trump like … Lord Voldemort, a character in the universe of “Harry Potter” who is so evil that his name is forbidden to be spoken.

In front of the cameras, he preferred to use expressions like “the other” or “the former”.

But on Tuesday night, at a dinner he hosted for his party donors, Joe Biden referred to his predecessor by name more than ten times, something he now routinely does at such events.

Threatening

There are no cameras or audio recordings at these luncheons, but a pool of reporters is allowed to take notes during the president’s opening remarks and broadcast some of his remarks.

Donald Trump does pose a threat to some things in the country, especially “on abortion rights, voting rights, civil rights,” as well as “America’s reputation in the world,” he said. But “what Trump threatens most is our democracy.”

That appears to be the central message of Mr. Biden’s campaign, he repeated Tuesday night to about a hundred supporters in a posh Washington district.

“Every head of state I meet tells me ‘you have to win.’ You have to win.’ Unfortunately, they don’t say it because they appreciate me, they say it because of the other lad,” he said with a touch of humor.

The Democrat knows that it does not cause much excitement.

Ominous polls—which should be treated with caution, as the election is still a long way off—are one after the other, his age is a constant concern, his positions on the Israel/Hamas war in The Gaza Strip and immigration alienate much of the more progressive portion of the Democratic electorate.

The American president, however, seems to be betting that in November 2024, in front of the prospect of a new term for Donald Trump, voters will put aside their reservations about his person and vote for him.

He thus focuses his attacks on his predecessor, ignoring the other contenders for the Republican nomination.

“If Trump hadn’t been a candidate, I’m not sure I would have run,” the Democrat said recently.

Joe Biden systematically refers to the most extreme statements of his predecessor, as if he fears that public opinion, disgusted by the excesses of Donald Trump, is no longer paying attention.

Yesterday, for example, he did not fail to refer to his opponent in a speech that had nothing to do with him.

“Parrots”

At an event dedicated to African-American entrepreneurship, the president emphasized that his economic policy is a “break with the ‘trickle-down theory'” faithfully applied by his predecessor, “the type that believes that we pollute the blood of America.”

He was referring to the statement the property tycoon made at a campaign event over the weekend referring to immigrants: “they are poisoning the blood of our country”.

“Donald Trump showed us what his role models are by parroting Adolf Hitler,” was the reaction of Joe Biden’s campaign.

His predecessor uses “vocabulary that reminds us of Germany in the 1930s,” Mr. Biden said yesterday Tuesday, also recalling that his predecessor called his political opponents “parasites” and “scum.”

Joe Biden also often highlights his opponent’s positive references to authoritarian world leaders, particularly Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“No one is surprised. After all, Moscow and Mar-a-Lago (i.e. the mansion where Donald Trump lives in Florida) agree on a lot,” he said yesterday.