Biden, Trump issue dire warnings for the U.S. if other wins another term

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump hold duelling rallies in Georgia, setting the stage for a contentious rematch.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump warned of dire consequences for the country if the other wins another term in the White House as the pair held duelling rallies in Georgia on March 9 fresh off strong wins in Super Tuesday contests that positioned them for an all-but-certain rematch this November.

The state was a pivotal 2020 battleground — so close four years ago that Mr. Trump finds himself indicted here for his push to “find 11,780 votes” and overturn Mr. Biden’s victory — and both parties are preparing for another closely contested race in the state this year.

Mr. Biden opened his speech at a rally in Atlanta noting that Mr. Trump was across the state with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the firebrand lawmaker who has gone from the fringes of her party to the fore. “It can tell you a lot about a person who he keeps company with," Mr. Biden said to applause. Mr. Biden noted that Mr. Trump had hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — who has rolled back democracy in his country — at his Florida club the day before.

“When he says he wants to be a dictator, I believe him,” Mr. Biden said of Mr. Trump. “Our freedoms are literally on the ballot this November.”

Mr. Biden hosted the rally at Pullman Yards, a 27-acre arts and entertainment venue in Atlanta that was formerly an industrial site to receive the endorsement of Collective PAC, Latino Victory Fund and AAPI Victory Fund, a trio of political groups representing, respectively, Black, Latino, and Asian Americans and Pacific Island voters. The groups were announcing a $30 million commitment to mobilise voters on Mr. Biden’s behalf.

Mr. Trump, meanwhile, hammered Mr. Biden on the border and blamed him for the death of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley last month. An immigrant from Venezuela who entered the U.S. illegally has been arrested and charged with her murder. He hosted Riley's family at his rally in Rome, Greene's hometown.

“What Joe Biden has done on our border is a crime against humanity and the people of this nation for which he will never be forgiven,” Mr. Trump said, promising the largest deportation in history. “What a tremendous shame,” he said.