President Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden delivered his farewell address to the nation on Wednesday, using the Oval Office for a final opportunity to define his legacy and issue a warning about the threat of unchecked abuse of power and wealth and what he described as an emerging oligarchy.
Speaking behind the Resolute Desk, Biden sought to sound the alarm about “a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very small number of ultra-wealthy people” which he said risks undermining the very fabric of American life.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy. Our fundamental rights and freedoms. And a fair chance for everyone to advance.” , he said.
This speech echoed the farewell address that then-President Dwight Eisenhower gave to the nation in 1961, in which he warned of the dangers of an emerging “military-industrial complex.” Today, Biden said, the threat he sees comes from a “tech industrial complex.”
Biden said the consequences of this emerging concentration of power can already be felt in multiple ways across the country.
Combating climate change is one of many examples he cited.
“Powerful forces want to exert their unchecked influence to eliminate the actions we have taken to combat the climate crisis, in order to serve their own interests in power and profit,” Biden said. “We must not allow ourselves to be forced to sacrifice the future, that of our children and our grandchildren.”
But the dangers are evident in other areas as well, the president said. While praising the achievements of America’s technological advancements, Biden also spoke about how notions of truth are being undermined.
“Americans are buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling abuses of power,” Biden said. “The free press is collapsing, editors are disappearing. Social media is abandoning fact-checking. The truth is being drowned out by lies told for power and profit.”
Biden spoke of artificial intelligence as “the most important technology of our time, perhaps of all time,” while warning of the potential dangers of the technology without adequate safeguards in place. Without these protections, he said, “AI could create new threats to our rights, our way of life, our privacy, the way we work and the way we protect our nation.”
Biden also used his remarks to advocate for various reforms in the nation’s capital. He called for the elimination of “dark money” as a form of campaign contribution, a ban on stock trading for members of Congress, and an 18-year term limit for members of the Supreme Court. .
And without mentioning President-elect Donald Trump by name, he said the Constitution should be amended “to make clear that no president – no president – is immune from the crimes he commits while in office.”
“The Magic of America”
Biden’s remarks marked a coda to a political career that spanned more than half a century — a career that took him from a blue-collar upbringing in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to the halls of power of the U.S. Senate ; from two terms as vice president under former President Barack Obama to his own improbable victory in 2020.
“America can be defined by one word: ‘possibility,'” Biden said. “Only in America do we believe anything is possible, like a stuttering child from humble beginnings in Scranton, Pa.; Claymont, Del., sitting behind that desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States. This is the magic of America.
Biden ran for president insisting that the soul of the nation was at stake. “It still is,” Biden said before his remarks. a letter to the American public. “History is in your hands. Power is in your hands. The idea of America is in your hands.”
Biden, 82, had hoped to stay another four years in the White House, but his re-election chances have been hurt by high inflation, disenchantment with illegal immigration and questions about his age. A few weeks after a disastrous debate last June, he announced that he would give up seeking a second term.
He is leaving office highly unpopular, and in less than a week he will hand power to Trump — a leader Biden had pledged to make a one-term president. After losing to Biden four years ago, Trump will now return to the White House promising to undo much of Biden’s accomplishments.
Biden touched on a number of those accomplishments during his speech Wednesday night. He said he was proud of his accomplishments, highlighting the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, historic investments in infrastructure, lower prescription drug prices and gun safety legislation.
Biden delivered his speech hours after announcing a diplomatic breakthrough in the war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. Conflict has at times dominated his presidency — and has also eroded his support among many Arab Americans. But speaking from the White House earlier in the day, Biden was able to announce a ceasefire agreement intended to end more than 15 months of bloodshed.
He called the opportunity to serve as commander in chief “the greatest honor of my life” and said that after 50 years of public service, he continues to have confidence in the nation’s future.
“I give you my word: I still believe in what this nation stands for, a nation where the strengths of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure,” Biden said.
But as he prepares to leave the White House, he said it’s also time to pass the torch.
“Now it’s your turn to stand guard. May you all be keepers of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You do too.”