Joe Biden warns Donald Trump will try to steal midterm elections, delivering one of his most forceful public interventions since leaving office, as he accused his successor of undermining democratic norms and erecting barriers designed to suppress voter participation ahead of the 2026 vote.
Speaking during a rare public appearance in South Carolina, the former president framed the upcoming contest as a defining moment for American democracy, warning that complacency could allow electoral manipulation to succeed.
Appearing at an event in Columbia where he was being honoured for a lifetime of public service, Joe Biden told an audience that the United States was living through what he described as “dark days.”
His remarks came amid heightened political tension, just hours before the Trump administration launched military strikes in the Middle East, a development that further sharpened the former president’s warnings about the direction of the country.
Biden, now 83, invoked language that echoed his successful 2020 campaign, during which he defeated Trump and ended his first presidency. Addressing the crowd at the Columbia Museum of Art, he said, “The battle for the soul of this nation is one that’s never really over,” a phrase that has become closely associated with his political identity. He stressed that democratic institutions depend not only on laws and courts, but on citizens actively participating in elections.
Central to Biden’s warning was his accusation that Donald Trump would attempt to interfere with the integrity of the midterm elections by discouraging or preventing eligible voters from casting ballots.
Biden criticised proposals linked to the administration that would impose stricter voting requirements, including expanded identification rules, which critics argue could disproportionately affect minority, elderly, and low-income voters.
“Here’s the good news,” Biden told the audience. “In America, the power still belongs to the people for now. And the way to show the power is vote, show up and vote.” He continued by arguing that high voter turnout posed a direct threat to Trump’s political prospects. “When we do that, that’s bad news for Donald Trump, and he knows it,” Biden said, drawing applause from the crowd.
According to Biden, this awareness is precisely why Trump and his allies are seeking to reshape the electoral landscape ahead of November. “That’s why he’s trying to pull out more and more barriers,” Biden said. “He’s trying to steal the election, because he knows he can’t win your vote, so he’s going to do everything he can to prevent you from wanting to vote.”
The former president’s language reflected long-standing Democratic concerns that changes to voting rules are being pursued not for security, but for partisan advantage.
Biden’s re-emergence into the public eye was notable given his largely low profile since leaving the White House. After stepping aside from the 2024 re-election race following a widely criticised debate performance, he has appeared only occasionally at political or ceremonial events.
His absence has been partly due to health challenges, including treatment for an aggressive form of prostate cancer, though he did not mention his medical condition during Friday’s speech.
Instead, Biden focused on criticising what he described as Trump’s moral and political failures while in office. He pointed to the president’s most recent State of the Union address, arguing that it reflected a lack of empathy and accountability.
In particular, Biden condemned the administration’s handling of a January immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis during which federal agents killed two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
“He doesn’t mention Renee Good, Alex Pretti,” Biden said. “He doesn’t offer even a word of solace to their families.” The former president argued that such omissions illustrated a broader pattern of indifference toward the human consequences of government actions, especially in communities already feeling marginalised.
Biden also criticised Trump for failing to acknowledge victims connected to the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019.
Epstein’s network of powerful associates has remained a source of public anger and suspicion, and Biden noted that Trump, who had previously been photographed and socialised with Epstein, did not address the issue in his national address.
“He didn’t offer a word of support, even recognition,” Biden said, referring to the victims of Epstein’s crimes. The remark appeared designed to reinforce Biden’s broader argument that Trump consistently avoids accountability, particularly when doing so might reflect poorly on himself or his political allies.
The speech also came at a moment of political vulnerability for the Trump administration. Recent polling suggests widespread dissatisfaction with the president’s performance.
Surveys conducted earlier in February indicated that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of his duties, with many respondents expressing concern that the country is moving in the wrong direction under his leadership.
Biden referenced these figures indirectly, suggesting that public opinion explains why the administration is focused on reshaping voting rules rather than persuading voters. “If you believe in democracy,” he told the audience, “you don’t make it harder for people to vote when you think you might lose. You make your case and trust the people.”
The former president also reflected briefly on his own decision to step aside during the 2024 election cycle. After withdrawing from the race, he endorsed his vice-president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee.
Despite a hard-fought campaign, Harris ultimately lost to Trump, paving the way for his return to the White House. Biden did not revisit the details of that campaign, but framed the outcome as a reminder that democratic gains can never be taken for granted.
Observers noted that Biden’s speech was unusually blunt for a former president, particularly one who has often emphasised unity and restraint. However, allies argue that the stakes justify his tone.
They say Biden views the midterm elections not simply as a routine political contest, but as a referendum on democratic norms, civil rights, and the rule of law.
Republican officials have rejected Biden’s accusations, insisting that proposed voting changes are necessary to protect election integrity.
They argue that measures such as stricter identification requirements are popular with voters and help prevent fraud, despite a lack of evidence that widespread voter fraud has occurred in recent US elections.
Trump himself has repeatedly claimed, without proof, that elections are rigged against him, a narrative that culminated in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential vote.
Biden’s critics have accused him of hypocrisy, pointing to Democratic-led states that have also adjusted voting procedures in recent years. Supporters counter that there is a fundamental difference between expanding access to voting and restricting it, and that Biden’s warning reflects lessons learned from the events following the 2020 election.
As the speech concluded, Biden returned to his central message: participation. He urged Americans not to succumb to cynicism or fatigue, arguing that disengagement would only benefit those seeking to manipulate the system. “The power still belongs to the people,” he said again, adding a cautionary note: “But only if we’re willing to use it.”
Whether Biden’s intervention will influence voter behaviour remains uncertain. Yet his remarks underscore the extent to which the 2026 midterm elections are already being framed as a pivotal test for the United States.
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By choosing to speak out now, Biden has signalled that, despite stepping away from electoral politics, he remains deeply invested in the outcome of the democratic process he spent decades navigating.
In warning that Donald Trump will try to steal the midterm elections, Biden positioned himself once more as a guardian of democratic norms, appealing directly to citizens rather than institutions.
As the campaign season intensifies, his words are likely to be echoed, challenged, and scrutinised, reflecting a nation still deeply divided over its political future and the meaning of democracy itself.
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