President Biden will deliver a farewell address from the Oval Office on Wednesday, warning the nation of an oligarchy forming in the United States and discussing other threats to the nation as he prepares to leave the White House. also issued a warning.
After touting some of his accomplishments and praising the cease-fire reached between Israel and Hamas earlier in the day, Biden said in a prime-time speech, “There are some things that I'm very concerned about. ” he paid attention to.
“Today, an oligarchy with extreme wealth, power, and influence is forming in the United States that literally threatens our entire democracy, our fundamental rights and freedoms, and a fair chance for everyone to advance.” Biden said.
Biden added: “We've seen the consequences of that across America, and we've seen it before.”
Throughout his speech, he warned more broadly about the risks of concentrating power in the hands of a few individuals and companies. He spoke of the “high-tech industrial complex” and called for a constitutional amendment to ensure that presidents are not immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office.
“In a democracy, there are new dangers in the concentration of power and wealth,” Biden said. “It erodes unity and common purpose. It breeds mistrust and division. Participation in our democracy feels exhausting and even disillusioning. We must remain engaged in the process. No.”
Biden's comments come as President-elect Trump prepares to take office after winning a decisive victory over Vice President Harris in November and taking over the Democratic ticket when the president withdrew from the race. It was held on. During his campaign, Mr. Biden repeatedly portrayed Mr. Trump as a threat to democracy and warned that his economic plan would overwhelmingly benefit the billionaires and big corporations.
But it was the first time since the election that Biden revisited those stark warnings in his farewell address, after welcoming President Trump to the White House and promising a peaceful transition of power.
Biden did not mention Trump by name during his speech.
But one of President Trump's most influential advisers is billionaire Elon Musk, who is tasked with cutting government spending and regulation. Other tech billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg have traveled to Florida to meet with President Trump in recent weeks, expressing a strong desire to work with the president-elect. .
Among other warnings, Biden said misinformation and disinformation are the biggest problems facing Americans and called on technology companies to end their fact-checking programs. Meta CEO Zuckerberg announced last week that the company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is ending its fact-checking program.
“The American people are being drowned in an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation due to abuses of power. Freedom of the press is collapsing, editors are disappearing, and social media is abandoning fact-checking.” Biden said. “For power and profit, the truth is covered up with lies.”
He also warned about artificial intelligence and reiterated his support for Congress to ban stock trading.
The president concluded his speech by calling on Americans to uphold the nation's ideals, ending five decades of public service that culminated in his single term as president.
“After 50 years in public office, I want to make it clear that I still believe in the position of this country, where the strength of our institutions and the character of our people matter and endure.” he said. “Now it's your turn to guard. May you all be keepers of the flame. May you continue to have faith. I love America, and you love it too.”
The president also mentioned the importance of democracy in his remarks.
“Our system of separation of powers and checks and balances may not be perfect, but it has sustained our democracy for 250 years, longer than any other nation in history that has attempted such a bold experiment.” he said.
Regarding the Trump administration, he added, “I want the United States to succeed, so I wish the next administration success.''
The president began his speech with an image of the Statue of Liberty, and ended by highlighting the symbolism of the New York landmark, which was built by many people and “even if it shakes a few inches, she never falls into the stream below.” .
In attendance in the Oval Office were First Lady Jill Biden, Mr. Harris, and Deputy Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Biden's son Hunter Biden and his family were also in attendance, as were about half a dozen senior administration officials, including press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, chief of staff Jeff Zients and top adviser Bruce Reid. Attended.
