Charleston, S.C. (CN) — President Joe Biden warned white supremacy continues to threaten American democracy in a speech Monday at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where a racist gunman fatally shot nine Black parishioners in 2015.
The president told those in attendance, which included survivors of the church shooting, that violence, conspiracy and falsehoods were old and dangerous weapons in American politics.
He recounted from the pulpit how church members welcomed a stranger into their Bible study on June 17, 2015. That stranger, 21-year-old Dylan Roof, opened fire on the congregants, killing nine people, including state Senator Clementa Pinckney.
The tragedy prompted lawmakers to remove the Confederate flag from outside the South Carolina statehouse as the nation grappled with what was then the deadliest mass shooting at a place of worship in U.S. history. Roof, a white supremacist, was sentenced to death after he was convicted at trial of 33 federal charges.
Biden said Monday the assailant’s bullets were not just propelled by gunpowder, but by a poison that “for too long has haunted this nation,” Biden said.
“What is that poison? White supremacy,” the president said. “Throughout our history, it has ripped this nation apart. It has no place in America — not today, tomorrow or ever.”
He tied efforts by Confederate sympathizers to reframe the Civil War as a “noble cause” to former President Donald Trump’s insistence that he won the 2020 election. In both instances, politicians turned their losses into lies that damaged the nation, Biden said.
“On Jan. 6, insurrectionists stormed the United States Capitol, trying for the first time in American history to stop the peaceful transfer of power,” Biden said. “The truth of what happened: That violent mob was whipped up by lies from a defeated former president.”
Biden’s address comes weeks before primary voters begin casting ballots in South Carolina, which Democrats selected as the first nominating state last year at the president’s request. A big win in the Palmetto State four years ago helped secure Biden’s candidacy after disappointing results in Iowa and New Hampshire, two predominantly white states.
Biden said Monday that Black voters in South Carolina were the reason he was elected president.
“I have done my best to honor your trust,” he said, touting efforts to eliminate lead pipes from the nation’s water system and a $7 billion investment in historically Black colleges and universities.
Biden is not expected to face a serious challenge for the nomination this year, but his campaign seeks to bolster his support ahead of the general election. Polls show the president losing ground among voters of color and trailing Trump in key battleground states.
Biden kicked off his reelection campaign with an address Friday at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where he accused Trump of seeking “revenge and retribution” against his political enemies.
“Democracy is on the ballot,” Biden said. “Your freedom is on the ballot.”
Monday's speech was briefly interrupted by protesters calling for an end to Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.
Biden said he understood their “passion” as they were led from the church. One attendee told Biden from her seat, “You’re an understanding person — they don’t realize that.”
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