(Daily Mail) Republicans have slammed President Biden for ‘election denialism’ after he called Democrat Terry McAuliffe the ‘real governor’ of Virginia despite him losing vote.
McAuliffe lost his bid to be Virginia’s governor to Republican Glenn Youngkin in 2021.
Despite this, during a speech in Virginia on Tuesday, Biden joked: ‘Hello, Virginia … and the real governor, Terry McAuliffe!’
Furious Republicans took to X to express their anger, accusing Biden of being an ‘election denier’ and a ‘threat to Democracy’.
Gov Youngkin replied to the video on X: ‘Mr. President, I’m right here.’
Biden made the joke during a speech in Virginia on Tuesday
Biden gestured to Democrat Terry McAuliffe and called him the ‘real Governor’ despite him losing in 2021. Governor Glenn Youngkin responded to a clip of the speech on X, saying ‘I’m right here’
Republicans were quick to compare Biden’s comment to Trump’s history of false election claims – when he repeatedly denied the results of the 2020 election.
Some labeled the president a hypocrite, with Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville said: ‘I thought saying something like this was “a threat to democracy”.
‘This man doesn’t have a speck of integrity.’
Likewise, rightwing commentator Megyn Kelly said: ‘Election denialism is only bad if your name is Trump.’
Throughout his presidency and 2024 campaign, Biden has made defending democracy a key part of his pledge.
Biden has referred to Trump as the ‘election denier-in-chief’ and has campaigned against him as a ‘threat to democracy’.
Former Trump aide Alyssa Farah Griffin said the joke was ‘bizarre’ and added: ‘When you’re running on ‘defending democracy’ jokes about elections being stolen are *not* funny at all.’
