美国总统乔·拜登(Joe Biden)周一在南卡罗来纳州查尔斯顿(Charleston)首次访问提前投票的州，他警告前总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)领导的共和党人“试图窃取选举”，“现在他们正试图窃取历史。”

他还在历史悠久的伊曼纽尔·AME圣母教堂发表竞选演讲时，称“白人至上”是一种“毒药”，继续困扰着这个国家，在2015年的大规模枪击事件中，9名美国黑人被一名白人至上主义者杀害。

“2015年6月17日，美丽的灵魂们...五名幸存者邀请一名陌生人到教堂和他们一起祈祷，”拜登说。“上帝的话语被子弹和仇恨穿透，被愤怒推动的，不仅仅是火药，还有毒药。毒害这个国家太久了。那是什么毒药?白人至上。这是一种毒药。纵观我们的历史，它让这个国家四分五裂。美国没有地方。今天不行。明天。或者永远不会。”

特朗普周六在爱荷华州表示，内战流血事件本来可以通过谈判避免——前南卡罗莱纳州共和党州长妮基·黑利不承认奴隶制是内战的根本原因——拜登谈到了被击败的邦联如何接受“所谓的失败原因”，将这与特朗普及其盟友拒绝接受2020年选举中的失败相提并论。

“让我对那些似乎不知道的人说清楚，奴隶制是内战的起因。这是没有商量余地的，”他说。

“现在，我们生活在一个第二次失败的时代，”拜登说。“这一次的谎言是关于2020年的选举。”

2024年1月8日，乔·拜登总统抵达南卡罗来纳州查尔斯顿的伊曼纽尔·AME圣母教堂发表讲话，2015年，一名白人至上主义者在那里大规模枪杀了九名信徒。

斯蒂芬妮·斯卡布罗/美联社

拜登还提到了关于特朗普淡化2021年1月6日暴力袭击美国国会大厦的种族问题，这是一群亲特朗普的暴徒试图阻止国会认证乔·拜登为获胜者。

“一群暴徒袭击并召唤黑人军官，保卫国家的黑人老兵...然而，美国的一个极端运动，由一个失败的总统领导的MAGA共和党人现在正试图窃取历史——他们试图窃取一次选举。“现在，他们试图窃取历史——告诉我们，暴力暴徒就像是，引用原话，“和平抗议。”"

“真相在美国受到攻击，”他补充道。“因此，我们的自由、我们的民主、我们的国家也是如此，因为没有真相，就没有光明。没有光，就没有走出黑暗的路。”

他说，那些否认他获胜合法性的人“不尊重8100万以另一种方式投票的人，他们投票支持我的候选人资格，并投票结束总统任期。”

“在他们的世界里，这些美国人，包括你，不算数。但这不是真实的世界，这不是民主，这不是美国。在美国，我们都算数。在美国，我们见证为所有实际参与的人服务。失败者被教导当他们失败时要让步，他是一个失败者，”拜登在欢呼中谈到特朗普。

据两名知情人士透露，拜登正在会见白人至上主义者Dylann Roof在大规模枪击事件中丧生的幸存者和家属。神职人员、宗教领袖和众议员吉姆·克莱伯恩(Jim Clyburn)也出席了会议，他是国会中级别最高的黑人议员。

克莱本在2020年2月拥挤的民主党初选中的支持被视为有助于支持南卡罗来纳州的黑人选票，这导致拜登赢得初选，并最终推动他当选总统。

“就像我四年前告诉你的那样，我们认识乔，但更重要的是，乔认识我们，”他周一说，他在节目中坐在拜登的右手边。

他说很少有地方像伊曼纽尔·AME教堂那样体现2024年的利害关系。

“今年的选举将决定美国民主的命运，我们的自由，以及这个国家是否会站起来反对唐纳德·特朗普和马加共和党人所体现的仇恨和刻薄，”克莱伯恩通过竞选活动在一份声明中说。“很少有地方像伊曼纽尔hate修女那样体现这些利害关系——一个见证了仇恨引发的政治暴力的恐怖的教堂，一个向这个国家的良知说话的教堂，一个在分裂和绝望的时刻向我们展示前进道路的教堂。”

“我总是说南卡罗来纳州选择总统，我知道拜登总统和副总统哈里斯同意，”他补充说。

拜登周一被抗议者短暂打断，抗议者高呼“立即停火!，”显然指的是以色列在加沙的战争。然后他们被“再干四年!”的歌声淹没了

“我理解他们的热情，”拜登在谈到中断时说。“我一直在默默工作。我一直在悄悄地与以色列政府合作，让他们减少并大量撤离加沙，并尽我所能做到这一点。”

吉恩·奥尔蒂斯和苏西·杰克逊在2015年《母亲艾曼纽》的大规模枪击事件中在场，他们说周一的中断带回了类似的恐惧感。

“我认为它们很糟糕。这让我回想起了过去，”奥尔蒂斯告诉美国广播公司新闻。"迪伦·鲁夫也是如此."

“这很可怕，因为这几乎就像我们重温了一遍，”杰克逊说。“当他们第一次开始时，这是非常压倒性的。不是时间和地点的问题。如果他们在外面做，那很好，但不是在我们的圣地。”

周一的讲话正值拜登寻求加强黑人选民的支持，这是他四年前当选的关键选区，但自他上任以来，黑人选民对他的支持率有所下降。

据调查，他以86%的美国黑人平均支持率开始了他的总统生涯五三八但这一数字到去年年初下降到60%，是拜登就任以来美国黑人中的最低水平。

南卡罗来纳州对拜登2020年的胜利至关重要，以近30个百分点的优势锁定了该州的民主党初选——这是他在爱荷华州和新罕布什尔州失利后的竞选转折点。

此行是他今年首次前往提前投票的州，因为一些民主党人，如克莱伯恩，不仅对拜登对黑人选民和党内更进步的派系的吸引力表示担忧，还对他如何突破所谓的“马加墙”表示担忧。

“我不担心。我很担心，”克莱伯恩继续说道美国有线电视新闻网当被问及他是否担心黑人选民去投票时。

“我对拜登政府及其所做的一切没有任何意见。我的问题是，我们无法突破那堵MAGA墙，以便让人们确切了解这个人做了什么，”他说，列举了他认为拜登应该更努力取得的成就，例如他如何降低处方药的成本，以及任命更多黑人女性进入上诉法院，比任何其他总统都多。

民主党全国委员会(Democratic National Committee)重组了今年的初选日程，以南卡罗来纳州为首，距离2月3日的初选只有26天。

“我在这里讲述另一个事实——因为这个集会，因为南卡罗来纳州的黑人社区，不夸张地说，因为吉姆·克莱伯恩，我今天作为你们的总统站在这里。这是事实，”拜登在伊曼纽尔的掌声中说道。“我已经尽了最大努力来尊重你们的信任，这意味着我摒弃了狭隘狭隘的美国观，同时树立了一个更大、更广阔的美国观。”

“你们让这一切成为可能，都是因为你们的声音。在塑造你的命运时，你的声音被听到了。这就是民主。我很自豪能够领导这项努力，确保你们在南卡罗来纳州的声音永远被听到。因为现在你是初选的第一名，”他后来补充道。

拜登出现在查尔斯顿之前，他的第一场重要的2024年竞选活动是上周五在宾夕法尼亚州福吉谷附近发表演讲，纪念1月6日美国国会大厦遇袭周年。

在那里，总统称特朗普是对民主的威胁，

“选择是明确的。唐纳德·特朗普的竞选是关于他，而不是美国，也不是你。唐纳德·特朗普的竞选团队沉迷于过去，而不是未来。他愿意牺牲我们的民主，让自己掌权，”拜登说。“我们的竞选是不同的……我们的竞选是关于维护和加强我们美国的民主。”

拜登-哈里斯竞选团队告诉美国广播公司新闻，在拜登在这个关键州发出注重民主和自由的信息后，24小时内，他们在网上筹集了超过100万美元。

“在一次又一次的选举中，民主和自由正在为美国人民动员问题，”数字总监罗布·弗莱厄蒂周一在一份声明中说。“在2024年，这不会有什么不同，我们看到围绕总统的核心竞选信息的强烈的基层热情令我们感到鼓舞。”

与此同时，特朗普最近在他的社交媒体平台Truth Social上表示，“我为黑人做的事情比其他任何一位总统都多(林肯?)，“引用对历史上黑人学院和大学以及机会区的资助。

Biden, at site of white supremacist murders, warns of Trump-led extremism

In his first visit to an early voting state this year, President Joe Biden on Monday in Charleston, South Carolina, warned MAGA Republicans led by former President Donald Trump "tried to steal an election" and "now they're trying to steal history."

He also called "white supremacy" a "poison" that continues to haunt the nation during a campaign speech at the historic Mother Emanuel AME Church, where nine Black Americans were murdered by a white supremacist in a 2015 mass shooting.

"On June 17, 2015, the beautiful souls ... five survivors invited a stranger into this church to pray with them," Biden said. "The Word of God was pierced by bullets and hate, rage -- propelled by, not just gunpowder, but by a poison. Poison as for too long haunted this nation. What is that poison? White supremacy. It's a poison. Throughout our history, it's ripped this nation apart. There's no place in America. Not today. Tomorrow. Or ever."

After Trump said Saturday in Iowa that Civil War bloodshed could have been avoided through negotiation -- and after former South Carolina GOP Gov. Nikki Haley didn't acknowledge slavery as the root cause of the Civil War -- Biden talked about how defeated Confederates embraced "what's known as the lost cause," comparing that to Trump and his allies refusing to accept defeat in the 2020 election.

"Let me be clear for those who don't seem to know, slavery was the cause of the Civil War. There is no negotiation about that," he said.

"Now, we're living in an era of a second lost cause," Biden said. "This time the lie is about the 2020 election."

Biden also referred to race concerning Trump's downplaying of the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob trying to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden as the winner.

"A mob attacked and called Black officers, Black veterans defending the nation ... and yet, an extreme movement in America, the MAGA Republicans, led by a defeated president is trying to steal history now – they tried to steal an election," he said. "Now they're trying to steal history – telling us that violent mob was like, quote, 'a peaceful protest.'"

"The truth is under assault in America," he added. "As a consequence, so is our freedom, our democracy, our very country, because without the truth, there's no light. Without light there's no path from this darkness."

He said those who deny the legitimacy of his win "don't have respect for the 81 million people who voted the other way, who voted for my candidacy and voted to end the presidency."

"In their world, these Americans, including you, don't count. But that's not the real world, that's not democracy, that's not America. In America, we all count. In America, we witness to serve all those who in fact participate. And losers are taught to concede when they lose and he's a loser," Biden said of Trump, to cheers.

Biden was meeting with survivors and families of those killed in the mass shooting by white supremacist Dylann Roof, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Clergy, interfaith leaders and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., the highest-ranking Black lawmaker in Congress, were also in attendance.

Clyburn's endorsement in February 2020 during a crowded Democratic primary was seen as instrumental in shoring up the Black vote in South Carolina which led Biden to clinch the primary and ultimately propelled him to the presidency.

"Like I told you four years ago, we know Joe But more importantly, Joe knows us," he said Monday, positioned on Biden's right-hand side for the program.

He's said few places embody what's at stake in 2024 as Mother Emanuel AME Church.

"This year's election will determine the fate of American democracy, our freedoms, and whether this country will stand up against hate and vitriol embodied by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans," Clyburn said in a statement via the campaign. "Few places embody these stakes like Mother Emanuel AME – a church that has witnessed the horrors of hate-fueled political violence and a church that has spoken to the conscience of this nation and shown us the path forward after moments of division and despair."

"I have always said that South Carolina picks presidents and I know President Biden and Vice President Harris agree," he added.

Biden was briefly interrupted Monday by protesters chanting "cease-fire now!," apparently referring to Israel's war in Gaza. They were then drowned out by chants of "Four more years!"

"I understand their passion," Biden said, addressing the interruption. "And I've been quietly working. I've been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza and using all that I can to do that."

Jean Ortiz and Susie Jackson, who were present during the 2015 mass shooting inside Mother Emmanuel, said Monday's interruption brought back similar feelings of fear.

"I thought they were terrible. Like it kind of gave me a flashback," Ortiz told ABC News. "It was the same way with Dylann Roof."

"It was frightening because it was almost like we relived it," said Jackson. "It was very much overwhelming when they first started. It wasn't the time and place. If they did it outside, that was fine -- but not right there on our holy grounds."

Monday's remarks comes as Biden looks to shore up support among Black voters, a constituency key to his election four years ago but whose approval of him has waned since he's taken office.

He started his presidency with an 86% average approval rating among Black Americans, according toFiveThirtyEight, higher than any other racial group, but that number dropped to 60% by early last year, the lowest it's been for Biden among Black Americans since he assumed office.

South Carolina was pivotal to Biden's 2020 win, clinching the state's Democratic primary by nearly 30 points -- a turning point for his campaign following losses in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The trip -- his first this year to an early voting state -- comes as some Democrats, like Clyburn, express concerns not only with Biden's appeal to Black voters and the party's more progressive wing but with how he'll break through the so-called "MAGA wall."

"I'm not worried. I'm very concerned," Clyburn said onCNN' "State of the Union" Sunday, asked if he was worried about Black voters turning out to the polls.

"I have no problem with the Biden administration and what it has done. My problem is we have not been able to break through that MAGA wall, in order to get to people exactly what this person has done," he said, ticking through achievements he thinks Biden should hit harder, such as how he's lowered the cost of prescription drug and appointed more Black women to the court of appeals than any other president.

The Democratic National Committee reorganized its primary calendar this year to lead with South Carolina with the primary election just 26 days away, on Feb. 3.

"I'm here to speak to another truth – because of this congregation, and the Black community of South Carolina and not exaggeration, and Jim Clyburn, that I stand here today as your president. That's a fact," Biden said inside Emanuel to applause. "I've done my best to honor your trust means rejecting the small, narrow, cramped view of America, as well as lifting up a bigger, broader view of America."

"You all made this possible because of your voice. Your voice was heard in shaping your destiny. That's democracy. I'm proud to have led the effort to make sure your voice in South Carolina will always be heard. Because now you're first in the primary," he added later.

Biden's appearance in Charleston comes on the heels of his first major 2024 campaign event, a speech near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, last Friday to mark the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

There, the president cast Trump as a threat to democracy,

"The choice is clear. Donald Trump's campaign is about him, not America, not you. Donald Trump's campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future. He's willing to sacrifice our democracy, put himself in power," Biden said. "Our campaign is different… Our campaign is about preserving and strengthening our American democracy."

The Biden-Harris campaign told ABC News it raised more than $1 million online in the 24 hours following Biden's democracy and freedom-focused message in the battleground state.

"In election after election, democracy and freedom are mobilizing issues for the American people," digital director Rob Flaherty said in a statement on Monday. "In 2024, that will be no different, and we are encouraged by the strong grassroots enthusiasm we are seeing around the President's core campaign message."

Trump, meanwhile, said recently on his social media platform Truth Social, in what's become a stump line for his outreach to Black voters, "I have done more for Black people than any other President (Lincoln?)," citing funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and opportunity zones.