U.S. President Joe Biden linked the American Civil War to the events following the 2020 elections, warning that "truth and freedoms will be at risk if Donald Trump wins a second term." Biden drew comparisons between 2020 and the Civil War, stating that defeated Confederates could not accept their defeat and instead embraced the "lost cause," claiming that the war was about states' rights rather than slavery. He pointed out that this falsehood brought about Jim Crow laws which deprived Black people of their rights and discriminated against them.
He noted, "We are now living in an era of another lost cause. Once again, some in this country are attempting to turn a loss into a lie. This lie, if allowed to live, will bring devastating harm to this country again. This time, the lie concerns the 2020 elections." Biden emphasized, "Let me be clear to those who don't know: slavery was the cause of the Civil War. There is no negotiation about that," warning that "truth is under attack in America."
He added, "As a result, our freedom, our democracy, and the country itself are at stake, because without truth, there is no light. Without light, there is no way out of this darkness."
