Biden warns voters a second Trump presidency will threaten democracy

Faced with stagnant approval ratings, president ups ante in what may become a central theme of his re-election campaign

Joe Biden dramatically raised the ante in the forthcoming US presidential election campaign on Thursday with a stark and impassioned warning that American democracy is imperiled by a vengeful Donald Trump, his likely opponent next year.

Faced by stagnant approval ratings and worries about his advanced age, the US president attempted to stir his dormant supporters and animate the undecided by spelling out the dangers he insisted a second Trump presidency would pose to the US's status as the world's leading beacon of democratic government.