Former President Joe Biden issued one of his most pointed post‑White House critiques of Donald Trump during a July 31 speech to the National Bar Association in Chicago, warning that the United States is facing “dark days” for democracy, civil rights and the rule of law.
Speaking to an audience of roughly 1,100 Black judges, lawyers, and legal scholars, Biden did not mention Trump by name but left little doubt about his target. He accused the current administration of undermining judicial independence, dismantling safeguards for marginalized communities, and normalizing political retribution.
“I’ve seen dark times in America,” Biden said, “but what we’re living through now is different. It’s an assault from within.”
Biden reserved sharp criticism for what he described as a “complicit” Republican Congress and law firms that “bend to bullies” rather than defend constitutional principles. He urged the legal community to stand firm in defending voting rights, civil liberties, and an independent judiciary.
The speech came at a time when Trump is accelerating changes to the federal judiciary, directing the Justice Department to pursue political opponents and backing state‑level laws that roll back voting access and diversity initiatives. Biden framed the current moment as the most consequential test for American democracy since the civil rights movement.
While Biden has issued occasional public statements since leaving office, this was among his most sustained and urgent warnings about the direction of the country. It also builds on his farewell address earlier this year, in which he warned of the rise of oligarchic power, rampant disinformation, and the weakening of democratic institutions.
Biden closed by calling on his audience to “be the last line of defense” against an erosion of rights. “If the law doesn’t hold,” he said, “the rest will fall.”
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