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At McAuliffe rally, Biden says Youngkin 'embraced' Trump and 'the big lie'

At a campaign rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Tuesday, President Biden said Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin “embraced” former President Donald Trump and “the big lie” of election fraud.

Video transcript

JOE BIDEN: How well do you know Terry's opponent? Well, just remember this, I ran against Donald Trump. And Terry is running against an acolyte of Donald Trump. Terry's opponent doesn't like to talk about how very much now, but to win the Republican nomination, he embraced Donald Trump. He started his campaign by saying that the number one issue in the race was he's called the election-- he called for election integrity. Now, this guy starts, said he's calling for election integrity. Now, why did he do that? Because he wanted to hear Donald Trump? It was a price he'd have to pay for the nomination, and he paid it. But now, he doesn't want to talk about Trump anymore. Well, I do.

Talk about an oxymoron. Donald Trump and election integrity? I can't believe you put the word Trump and integrity in the same sentence. Look, he's done a lot of lousy things. Well, my friend, General Colin Powell died, his integrity, a man of incredible integrity-- they certainly go together with Colin Powell and integrity, a decorated American hero. Which is why the attack just leveled by Trump against General Powell was so offensive. I'd say it's unbelievable, but it's not.

Trump did the same thing about John McCain. That's who Donald Trump is. All coming from a guy who invented the big lie, drove a mob of insurrectionists to breach the Capitol on the 6th of January. And to this day, he incites people all around the country. He said the people who attended his rally and then stormed the Capitol, quote, "They were peaceful people. They were great people." Well, God love you. I'm glad you're here.

Virginia, you know better. You saw with your own eyes. Many of you were there. Some of you risked your lives. The anger, the rage, American flags turning to spears, a noose, a gallows, police assaulted and killed, death threats against elected officials of public service carrying the most sacred act of a democracy, certifying a free election. The breach of the Capitol, that didn't even happen during the Civil War. To Donald Trump, the insurrection isn't a violent assault that took place on January 6 of the Capitol. No. To Trump, the insurrection was the November 3 election when more Americans voted than it ever voted all of our history.

That's the big lie that Terry's opponent embraced. And it prompted "The Washington Post" to write something about Terry's opponent every Virginian should read before they vote. And I quote, " Glenn Youngkin has failed the character test. He has indulged and encouraged Republicans to have swallowed former President Trump's lie that last year's presidential election was stolen. Mr. Youngkin chose to dignify a fundamental fiction that is subverting our system rather than standing squarely for the truth. And doing so, he proved himself unfit for office." End of quote.