Former President Joe Biden delivered a farewell address Wednesday in which he warned Americans of the dangers that are to succeed him. In arguably one of the best speeches of his presidential term, he ominously spoke about President Donald Trump’s second term, called for a constitutional amendment and momentarily touted his decades of service. Although Biden’s competency suffers questioning, this farewell address spoke to his awareness of what’s to follow and deep understanding of American politics.
Throughout Biden’s allusions to a second Trump presidency, there was a common theme: power. He warned Americans about “the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of very few ultra-wealthy people, and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked.” He even went on to say, “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence.”
By referencing an oligarchy, Biden is critiquing the state of democracy as a whole under Trump’s leadership — transcending political affiliations and policy disagreements. Drawing inspiration from former President Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address, Biden used the majority of his speech to evaluate the anxiety-ridden future. This directly speaks to his sense of what’s to come — and there’s no politically-driven malice as he is not running for another office.
Although Biden is certainly worried about the state of democracy and government as a result of concentrated wealth and power, he spoke on the specific dangers for the American people. “It erodes a sense of unity and common purpose. It causes distrust and division,” Biden said. “Participating in our democracy becomes exhausting and even disillusioning, and people don’t feel like they have a fair shot.
Biden’s way of directly establishing how wealth and power concentration can affect Americans speaks volumes to his longtime career in government, and how he has seen this kind of power unfold before.
Along with those warnings that are certainly real but somewhat vague, Biden called for a change to the U.S. Constitution. In direct reference to Trump’s unprecedented presidential immunity, Biden said there needs to be an amendment that says no president is immune from crimes they commit in office. He said the president’s power is not absolute, and he believes it shouldn’t be — ominously foreshadowing the new administration.
With these warnings surrounding power and wealth, truth and accountability are on the backburner; however, Biden knows the importance of journalism, and has worked with the press in a way that directly contrasts Trump’s interactions during his first term. In his address, he explained the ways truth and accountability began falling apart when Trump reentered the political sphere.
Biden said, “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. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit.”
The overall themes of concentrated wealth and abuses of power throughout Biden’s farewell speech created a set of foreboding and mellow warnings preceding Trump’s second term. In a well-delivered address, he used his decades of experience and deep understanding of the democratic process to demonstrate his awareness of the danger Trump presents to the country and the government.
Layne Rey is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Layne know by tweeting her @laynerey12.
