President Joe Biden used a recent campaign fundraiser in San Francisco, California, to make pointed remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin and former President Donald Trump. The event took place on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.
The San Francisco event marked part of a three-day trip to California aimed at raising campaign funds for Biden’s 2024 reelection bid. Biden, speaking at a private residence, offered candid viewpoints on global and domestic political issues.
Biden described Putin as a “crazy SOB“, drawing attention to the Russian leader’s actions and raising concerns about potential nuclear conflicts. Despite this, Biden stressed that climate change, in his opinion, represents the most pressing threat to humanity, aligning this worldwide issue with his campaign’s focus.
The fundraiser also gave Biden an opportunity to criticize Trump, who is expected to be his Republican opponent in the forthcoming election. Biden expressed disbelief over Trump’s recent analogy of his situation in the U.S. to that of Alexei Navalny, the deceased Russian opposition leader who met a suspicious end in an Arctic prison just a week earlier.
Trump had drawn parallels between his own legal struggles, including a $350 million fine for misrepresentation of financial statements, and Navalny’s persecution, insinuating that the U.S. was heading toward communism or fascism. Biden found Trump’s comparison perplexing, exclaiming, “I don’t know where the hell this comes from.”
In his speech, Biden also addressed the current state of the Republican Party, suggesting it lacks moral direction, particularly within its MAGA (Make America Great Again) faction. He highlighted the contrast between his administration’s support for middle-class Americans and the Republicans’ proposed policies, which he believes could detrimentally affect these individuals.
He cautioned against the potential repercussions of a Republican win in November, which could include a nationwide ban on abortion and further attempts to undo health insurance programs established during the Obama era.
Notable figures, including House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, welcomed the President in San Francisco. Biden, accompanied by Pelosi on the Marine One helicopter flight to Marina Green in San Francisco, hailed Pelosi as the “best Speaker of the House there has ever been.”
These comments at the fundraiser underscore the increasingly charged political dialogue as the 2024 election nears, with Biden presenting himself as a champion of democratic values against perceived threats from abroad and at home.
