On Wednesday, host Rachel Maddow discussed President Joe Biden's farewell address, saying Biden's warnings for the incoming Trump administration “sent a shiver down my spine.”
Maddow said: “Going into this speech, when I got the advice, basically the planning advice, that maybe it wasn't going to be that long, I thought he was trying to send some kind of warning to this country.'' And today we saw the White House release what they say is a letter, but it's actually a response to their accomplishments this term. It was a book of about 100 pages or more that explained the president's views.I think they didn't spend that much time on this speech, but they detailed the list of accomplishments in writing before the speech. So perhaps this speech will serve a different purpose. Perhaps this will serve as a warning.”
She continued: “As you said, we didn't expect it to be this dire. He said tonight that oligarchy is taking shape in America, with dangerous power in the hands of a very wealthy few. He simply said that it is a high-tech industrial complex that is concentrated and poses a real danger. Why do misinformation and disinformation exist? They exist to enable abuses of power. He talked about the horrors and how truth is sacrificed to lies for power and profit.”
Maddow added: “This is important because he's essentially decided not to brag about what he's done along the way.” He did a little bit of that, but really, he used this last moment to say, this is what we have now. This is why it's not just dangerous. Because it doesn't look like America. That's dangerous. Because this is what they are doing to this oligarchy, this concentration of power, and the press and the truth. And it's solemn and somber. And as I said earlier, it sent a chill down my spine. I think he's right. And I'm glad he took the time to say that. ”
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