Biden warns of ‘oligarchy’ in final Oval Office speech: NPR

President Biden will deliver a farewell address to the nation on Wednesday and take to the Oval Office for one last chance to make his mark on what he describes as the unbridled abuse of power and wealth and the emerging oligarchy. warned about the threat.

Biden, speaking from behind a resolute desk, sought to sound the alarm about a “dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very wealthy few” that he said risks undermining the very fabric of American life. said.

“Today, an oligarchy has taken shape in the United States with extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our fundamental rights and freedoms, and a fair system in which everyone wins. “It’s an opportunity,” he said.

The speech was an echo of then-President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address to the nation in 1961, in which he warned of the dangers of a rising “military-industrial complex.” It was famous for. Today, Biden said the threat he sees comes from the “high-tech industrial complex.”

Biden said the effects of this new concentration of power could already be felt in different ways across the country.

The fight against climate change was one of several examples he pointed to.

“Powerful powers want to use their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we have taken to address the climate crisis in order to serve their own interests and power,” Biden said. “There is,” he said. “We should not be bullied to the detriment of our future, the future of our children and grandchildren.”

But the president said the dangers were clear in other areas as well. While Biden praised America’s technological advances, he also spoke about how the concept of truth is being undermined.

“Americans are buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation that enables abuses of power,” Biden said. “Freedom of the press is collapsing and editors are disappearing. Social media is abandoning fact-checking. The truth is being obscured by lies told by power and profit.”

Biden called artificial intelligence “the most significant technology of our time, perhaps history,” but also warned of the potential dangers of this technology without proper 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 call for various reforms in the nation’s capital. He called for the elimination of “dark money” as campaign funds, a ban on stock trading by members of Congress, and an 18-year term limit for Supreme Court members.

Without mentioning President-elect Donald Trump by name, he said the Constitution should be amended “to make it clear that no president, no president, is immune from crimes committed while in office.” .

“American Magic”

Biden’s remarks capped a political career spanning more than half a century. His career took him from a blue-collar family in Scranton, Pennsylvania to the halls of power in the U.S. Senate. From his two terms as vice president under former President Barack Obama to his unlikely victory in 2020.

“America can be defined by one word: ‘possibility,'” Biden said. “Like the kid in Scranton, Pennsylvania, or Claymont, Delaware, who has a stutter and sits behind this desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States, America is the only place where we believe anything is possible. That’s the magic of America. ”

Biden ran for president arguing that the soul of the nation was at stake. “That remains true,” Biden said in a letter to the American people ahead of his remarks. “History is in your hands. Power is in your hands. America’s ideals are in your hands.”

Biden, 82, had hoped to stay in the White House for four more years, but high inflation, disillusionment with illegal immigration and questions about his age have hurt his chances for re-election. Weeks after his disastrous result in last June’s debate, he announced he was abandoning his bid for a second term.

He left office highly unpopular and will hand over power to Trump within a week – whose leader Biden had vowed to be a one-term president. After losing to Biden four years ago, Trump returns to the White House, this time promising to undo most of Biden’s accomplishments.

Biden touched on many of these accomplishments in his speech Wednesday night. He said he was proud of his accomplishments, pointing to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, historic investments in infrastructure, lower prescription drug prices and gun safety legislation.

Biden spoke hours after announcing a diplomatic breakthrough in the war between Israel and Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip. Conflicts at times dominated his presidency and undermined his support among many Arab Americans. But earlier in the day, Biden was able to announce a cease-fire agreement at the White House aimed at ending 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 in public service, he remains committed to the future of the country.

“I offer you these words. I still believe in the ideals of this country, a nation where the strength of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must persevere,” Biden said. Ta.

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 keep watch. May you all be keepers of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love America too.”