WASHINGTON — Just five days away from handing over power to his predecessor and soon-to-be successor, President Joe Biden used his closing message to the nation to outline challenges on the rise that he warned threatened the values of the country.
Choosing the Oval Office to deliver his prime-time farewell speech on Wednesday evening, Biden listed several issues he said are taking shape that give him “great concern,” including oligarchy, a refusal to address climate change, the spread of misinformation and the potential for artificial intelligence to threaten Americans' rights.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” he said, going on to make the case for a strong middle class and the wealthy paying their “fair share.”
On climate change, Biden touted the progress made from his signature pieces of legislation, arguing he has “proven we don't have to choose between protecting the environment and growing the economy.”
He went on to warn that “powerful forces want to wield their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we’ve taken to tackle the climate crisis.”
“We must not be bullied into sacrificing the future, the future of our children and our grandchildren,” he said, warning, “There's no time to waste”
Just one week after Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook and Instagram would do away with third-party fact-checking — a move lauded by many Republicans — Biden argued, “Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power.”
“The free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking,” he said. “The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit.”
Biden also warned that there must be safeguards in place for the rapidly growing artificial intelligence and that America must lead the world in its development rather than China.
The one-term Democratic president went on to list his other wishes for the future of the country, including term limits and ethics reforms for Supreme Court justices, an elimination of “dark money” behind campaign contributions and a ban on members of Congress trading stock — a long-standing debate on Capitol Hill that Biden just recently weighed in on. In a direct counter to last year’s Supreme Court ruling that handed a major victory to President-elect Donald Trump, Biden also argued that lawmakers should “amend the Constitution to make clear that no president — no president — is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office.”
Wednesday's speech, meant to tie a bow on Biden's one term in the White House and more than five-decade political career, comes after the president dropped his bid for reelection last summer following a debate performance against Trump widely considered disastrous. Biden then endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who lost November's race.
But even as he outlined his concerns just days away from making way for Trump, a man he repeatedly called a “threat to democracy,” to return to the White House, Biden said he wished the incoming administration success.
“I have no doubt that America is in a position to continue to succeed,” he said.
Biden highlighted what he sees as some of his biggest accomplishments in office, mentioning the addition of over 17 million jobs, small-business creation, bringing computer chip manufacturing back to America, giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, passing gun safety legislation and protecting veterans.
“It will take time to feel the full impact of all we've done together,” he said. “But the seeds are planted, and they'll grow and they'll bloom for decades to come.”
Overseas, he said he strengthened NATO and that the U.S. had “pulled ahead of our competition with China.”
The president opened his remarks mentioning the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas announced just hours prior in a major victory for Biden on his way out the door.
He noted that his team kept the incoming Trump administration “fully informed,” adding “that's how it should be — working together as Americans.”