That’s virtually meaningless. A “republic” is virtually any country that doesn’t have a monarchy or dictator.
So drawing a distinction between a “democracy” and a “democratic republic” in this manner is a waste of time. There plenty of democratic monarchies, which are equally democracies, too.
The USA is not a true democracy in the academic sense of the word.
A democratic republic more specifically
That’s virtually meaningless. A “republic” is virtually any country that doesn’t have a monarchy or dictator.
So drawing a distinction between a “democracy” and a “democratic republic” in this manner is a waste of time. There plenty of democratic monarchies, which are equally democracies, too.