- Biden dismissed characterizations that his speech marking the January 6 riot anniversary was divisive.
- "The way you have to heal, you have to recognize the extent of the wound," he told reporters.
- Trump said Biden "used my name today to try to further divide America."
President Joe Biden on Thursday rejected the idea that his speech marking the one-year anniversary of the January 6 riot was divisive.
"Does calling [Trump] out divide more than it heals?" a reporter asked Biden at the Capitol after he wrapped up his speech. "You talk so much about healing, sir, healing this country."
"No, no, look. The way you have to heal, you have to recognize the extent of the wound. You can't pretend. This is serious stuff," Biden replied. "And a lot of people, understandably, want to go 'Look, I'd just … not face it."
"You've got to face it. That's what great nations do. They face the truth. Deal with it and move on," he added.
Biden, despite never mentioning Trump by name, sharply condemned the former president over his role in the January 6 riot in a 25-minute speech at the Capitol on Thursday morning.
"One year ago today, in this sacred place, democracy was attacked, simply attacked," Biden said.
"For the first time in our history, a president had not just lost an election, he tried to prevent a peaceful transition of power as a violent mob reached the Capitol," he continued. "But they failed. They failed. And on this day of remembrance, we must make sure that such an attack never, never happens again."
The president went on to call Trump a "defeated former president," and added: "His bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution. He can't accept he lost."
Biden told reporters after his speech that he did not utter Trump's name because he "did not want to turn it into a contemporary political battle between me and the president."
"It's way beyond that. It's way beyond that," he said.
Trump continues to lie that widespread voter fraud rigged the 2020 presidential election against him, though federal, state, and local election officials have found no such evidence. Officials have repeatedly said that the election results were fair and accurate, but Trump insists that he won the election.
Trump responded to Biden's criticisms in a lengthy statement on Thursday, calling the president's speech "political theater."
"Biden, who is destroying our Nation with insane policies of open Borders, corrupt Elections, disastrous energy policies, unconstitutional mandates, and devastating school closures, used my name today to try to further divide America," he said. This political theater is all just a distraction for the fact Biden has completely and totally failed."
—The Recount (@therecount) January 6, 2022