President Joe Biden began his farewell address from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, focusing on perceived threats to democracy and society, including an “oligarchy”, climate change and aspects of technology.
He urged the country to ensure that artificial intelligence is safe and reliable, and criticized how disinformation and disinformation are spread on social platforms.
The president criticized social media platforms, saying they were neglecting fact-checking, referring to Meta ending its fact-checking program.
Biden also said he wishes the incoming Trump administration well.
“It’s not just about the last four years of his administration. He’s walking away from his career,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday.
“So you can imagine that the president has a lot to say, a lot of thoughts that he wants to share that really touch on the moment we’re in right now,” she added.
In a letter Wednesday that anticipated his prime-time remarks, Biden advocated continued job growth, lower prescription drug costs and investments in clean energy to fight climate change.
He portrayed the early days of his administration as a battle to get out of the grips of the Covid pandemic and “a winter of peril,” saying Americans rallied and “faced it bravely.”
“We emerged stronger, more prosperous and safer,” Biden said in the letter.
Biden also highlighted his economic record, particularly continued gains in the labor market.
In a statement last week praising the final monthly jobs report of his term, Biden said more than 16.6 million new jobs had been created since he took office and that he was “the only administration in story that had created jobs every month.”
Biden may be able to add a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas to his administration’s list of accomplishments.
He began his farewell speech by highlighting a new cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, noting that much of it would be implemented by the incoming Trump administration.
If the deal announced Wednesday afternoon goes into effect this weekend as planned, it would be a major breakthrough in the protracted fight that has weighed on Biden’s presidency and drawn criticism from within his own party.
In his letter, Biden did not refer to President-elect Donald Trump by name, but made indirect references to him.
“I ran for president because I believed the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake. And it still is,” he said.
Jean-Pierre said Biden wants to be “positive” and “talk about what we’ve been able to do.” She also said the address “will not be partisan.”
Taking a personal tone in his letter, Biden reflected on his upbringing and his life as a public official. “Nowhere else on Earth can a stuttering child from humble beginnings serve for 50 years in the halls of Congress, as vice president and eventually in the Oval Office.”
“I have given my heart and soul to our nation. And I have been blessed a million times over in return with the love and support of the American people,” he said.
Biden has yet to provide specifics on his post-presidency plans.
He and the first lady plan to travel directly from the inauguration to Central California for personal time, three administration officials said. The couple plans to stay in Santa Barbara County, although the Los Angeles wildfires could affect their plans, officials said.
Biden was asked by a reporter last week about his plans after leaving office: Would he speak post-presidency or be “out of sight and out of mind?”
“I won’t be out of sight or out of mind,” Biden replied.
