Former President Barack Obama argued Monday the nature of American democracy itself lies at stake in the 2020 election, not just the political future of his former Vice President Joe Biden.
“What’s at stake in this election is much bigger than Joe or the man he is running to replace,” Obama said about his former vice president in a video posted to social media. “What’s at stake is whether or not our democracy endures.”
Obama said Republicans in power were hoping voters would get cynical and stay home.
“It’s how they win,” Obama said. “Don’t let them.”
The former president asked supporters to make a plan of how they would vote in the election, urging them to vote early or vote by mail to make sure their vote counted.
“Now’s the time to safeguard this democracy and fight for what we believe in,” Obama said.
Obama also tried to brand President Trump as a threat to American democracy during his Democrat National Convention speech in August.
“This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that’s what it takes to win,” he said, urging voters to give democracy “new meaning” by voting for Biden.