Former Attorney General Bill Barr dismissed the idea that former President Donald Trump is a power-hungry “right-wing dictator,” noting that the real threat facing the United States is the intolerant “far left” ideologues.
President Trump will “probably put a premium on people who he feels would be more subservient to him. And that’s an area of concern. But at the end of the day, you have to remember, serving in his administration, I was fine with his policies. I think his policies were good policies,” Mr. Barr said in an April 20 interview with Fox. “My problems came with his behavior, which I found very troubling after the election. And I think the idea that he’s going to be an autocrat and take over power like some right-wing dictator is not the threat facing our country.”
“The threat facing our country is from the far left. And the drift that’s been occurring toward really a socialistic system and one that brooks no opposition, one that cancels people, that has only one viewpoint taught in colleges, that tries to push parents out of the picture when it comes to the education of their children. It’s a heavy-handed bunch of thugs, in my opinion. And that’s where the threat is.”
Mr. Barr pointed out that while there is a lot of “babble” about the Trump administration being lawless, it was the Biden administration that’s been breaking the law consistently.
President Biden is “not enforcing the law on the border. He’s forgiving tens of billions of dollars of money owed to the United States that puts this onus on the back of hardworking taxpayers, people who are not getting these breaks. And the court’s already said that they didn’t have the power to do this. And he’s trying to do it before the election to buy votes. This is, to me, lawless and crass behavior,” he said.
Mr. Barr thinks neither President Biden nor President Trump should be “near the Oval Office.” However, if he has to pick one, “there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s better for the country for the Republicans to win the election.”
“At the end of the day, we have to select between two different individuals. And I’ve said all along, and I think it’s my duty to pick the person I think will do the least harm to the country. And I think that to me, that’s clearly Trump and the Republican administration, which I think is important,” he said.
Key priorities for the United States’s leaders must be to take control over the border, stop lawlessness in cities, build up the country’s strength, and prevent excessive regulation that suffocates the business and tech sector. Mr. Barr believes these goals will be fulfilled “under a Trump administration.”
“At the same time, I think the Biden administration is, in fact, the greater threat to democracy. I think they have a totalitarian temper. They have bought into the progressive movement, and they’re trying to squelch opposition and freedom of speech,” he warned.
Trump-Biden Re-Match
Mr. Barr’s comments on the two presidents come as the presidential election is only a few months ahead. Multiple polls show President Trump having a lead or being tied to President Biden.
An April 18 update by Morning Consult showed both presidents tied in the race, with each garnering 42 percent support of U.S. voters. Even among Independents, both were tied, with 34 percent support each.
However, more Republicans were seen to back President Trump than Democrats supporting President Biden. While 88 percent of Republicans said they’ll vote for President Trump, only 85 percent of Democrats said they intend to vote for President Biden.
“Trump has a slight popularity edge,” Morning Consult said. “Trump maintains a net favorability advantage over Biden, though the bulk of the electorate is still more likely to hold negative views about both major party contenders.”
According to an April 18 Emerson College poll, 46 percent of voters support President Trump, a three-point lead over President Biden with 43 percent support.
“Since Emerson’s last national poll in early April, support for Biden lowered by two points, while Trump maintained 46 percent. When undecided voters are asked which candidate they lean toward, Trump’s overall support increases to 51 percent, and Biden to 48 percent,” the pollster said.
Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, pointed out that “voters who think the cost of living is rising support Trump over Biden, 56 percent to 32 percent.” Meanwhile, “those who feel the cost of living is easing or staying the same support Biden over Trump.”
Meanwhile, President Trump is battling multiple legal battles as he campaigns for a second term in the White House. He is currently involved in four criminal cases.
The opening arguments for President Trump’s “hush-money” trial are set to begin this Monday. He is facing 34 charges in the case, with each count carrying a maximum jail time of four years.
President Trump has slammed the legal challenges facing him as political targeting. “We are under Political Attack from Biden’s D.C. Thugs, working closely with the D.A.’s Office, in order to help Re-Elect Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in History. MAGA2024!” he wrote in an April 19 Truth Social post.
According to federal disclosures made by three groups associated with the Trump campaign, they have collectively spent over $16.1 million so far this year to meet the former president’s legal bills.
