A referendum on Donald Trump and his “extremist” ideas, not a vote on Joe Biden and his failures: this is how the American president would like voters to approach the parliamentary elections scheduled in two months, writes AFP.

The 79-year-old Democrat, who remains unpopular despite rising polls, often says, “Don’t compare me to Almighty God, compare me to the alternative.” This is a way of saying that his shortcomings are nothing compared to the danger of the other side.

It was this camp of his predecessor and his staunchest supporters that Joe Biden attacked with extraordinary ferocity on Thursday night.

In East Philadelphia, he said: “Donald Trump and the MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans represent extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic. Representatives of the radical right feed on chaos. They live not in the light of truth, but in the shadow of lies.”

However, the president said on Friday that he is not targeting all of Donald Trump’s more than 74 million voters in 2020.

“I don’t think every Trump supporter is a threat to democracy,” he told a group of reporters at the White House. “The people who voted for Donald Trump and are supporting him today did not vote for the attack on the Capitol. They did not vote to cancel the elections.”

On Friday, the New York Times offered this analysis: “If Americans are asked whether they support Mr. Biden, they are more likely to say no.” If asked if they support him against Mr Trump, they can only say yes. At least that’s the White House theory.”

By insisting on issues like protecting democracy and abortion rights, Joe Biden is depriving Republicans of their favorite campaign arguments about the economy and crime.