President Biden

When Vice President Kamala Harris dropped by a campaign office in Madison, Wisconsin, in March, those who attended were handed some poster board and asked to write down why they’re supporting President Biden’s reelection.

Democratic voter Frank Pohlkamp wrote, “because democracy matters.”

“There was quite a bit of planning [from Trump’s side] that went into the idea of the transfer of power,” Pohlkamp said of the period between the 2020 election and the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol. “That is concerning to me. The rule of law and democracy matters to the United States.”

Former President Donald Trump has placed Jan. 6 at the center of his presidential campaign, as both he and other Republicans downplay the severity of the attack and the baseless claims of election fraud that inspired it.

 President Biden believes reminding voters again about this rhetoric from Trump, and painting him as a “threat” to democracy is a crucial contrast to highlight. It’s a variation on the theme of his 2020 campaign, which he referred to as a fight for the “soul of the nation,” and one that he returned to during the 2022 midterm elections.