Former President Joe Biden made one of his rare post-presidential appearances Friday in Columbia, South Carolina, stepping onto a stage at a downtown art museum to accept a lifetime achievement honor from the state's Democratic Party. 

During the speech, Biden claimed that Donald Trump is rigging the 2026 midterms before a single vote has been cast. 

"Here's the good news,” Biden told the crowd. “In America, the power still belongs to the people for now. And the way to show the power is vote, show up, and vote. And folks, when we do that, that's bad news for Donald Trump, and he knows it. That's why he's trying to pull out more and more barriers - put them up. He's trying to steal the election because he knows he can't win your vote, so he's going to do everything he can to prevent you from wanting to vote." 

The "barriers" Biden was referencing are Trump's push for photo ID requirements and proof of citizenship for first-time voter registration -  the two key components of the SAVE America Act currently awaiting a Senate vote. 

Biden framed these measures as existential threats to democracy.

What he did not mention is that the American public has already rendered its verdict on these policies — and it is not remotely close.

A Pew Research Center survey found that 83% of Americans support requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote, including 71% of Democrats, 76% of black Americans, and 82% of Hispanics. 

Gallup found nearly identical results: 84% in favor of photo ID requirements, with 98% of Republicans, 84% of independents, and 67% of Democrats on board. Eighty-three percent also support requiring proof of citizenship for first-time voter registration. 

"The bottom line is this,” CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten said earlier this month. “Voter ID is not controversial in this country. A photo ID to vote is not controversial in this country. It is not controversial by party, and it is not controversial by race. The vast majority of Americans agree … that, in fact, you should have a photo ID to be able to vote."

Biden was speaking, in other words, about a policy his own base largely supports — insisting it’s election theft. 

Biden also attempted to rewrite his legacy by claiming he had secured the southern border.

"The day I left office, border crossings in the United States were lower than the day that I entered an office inherited from Trump," he said. "He is — I won't say it. That's just a fact." 

What Biden failed to mention was that border crossings hit record highs on his watch. The numbers were so high that even Barack Obama’s Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said back in 2024 that they were unsustainable.

During his presidency, he claimed that he needed new legislation to address the border crisis and insisted that it was up to Congress to give him the authority he needed to close the border. The Biden administration only chose to act on the border when polling showed that Trump had a significant advantage on the issue of immigration.

No matter how hard he tries, Joe Biden can’t rewrite his record on the border. Rather than own his legacy, he’s proving exactly why Donald Trump won in 2024.