Chicago, Illinois - Former President Joe Biden called out President Donald Trump for his attacks on marginalized groups and communities as he warned that the US is facing "dark days" and an "existential fight."

Biden used an appearance on the stage at the National Bar Association's 100th Annual Awards Gala on Thursday to rail against Trump's attacks on civil rights and warn that the US must "confront hard truths."

"Our Constitution guarantees a basic set of rights to every single American, and sets up institutions to safeguard those rights," Biden explained after greeting the crowd.

"Next year we'll celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence – but all that rhetoric are just words on pages if we the people don't uphold them," he warned.

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Biden continued his speech with a focus on the contributions of Black lawyers to the US' civil rights history and emphasized that the country needs a strong judiciary with clear separations of power.

"Not since the tumultuous days of the 1960s has this fight been so existential to who we are as a nation, with marginalized groups so dramatically under attack," Biden declared.

"We see the apparent glee of some of our politicians while watching immigrants who are in this country legally torn from the arms of their family, dragged away in handcuffs from the only home they've ever known."

Trump has waged a war against the judiciary branch since reentering office in January 2025, targeting judges and launching legal suits and executive orders against firms that had been involved in cases against him.

Biden warned that under the Trump administration, the US has seen "law firms bowing to pressure, bending to bullies, instead of staying rooted in justice of the law."