President Biden said there has been a rise in “white supremacy” and “domestic terrorism” during his inaugural address.
“The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer,” Biden said during his first speech as president. “The cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism, that we must confront and we will defeat.”
Joe Biden says in inaugural address that the “rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism” is something “we must confront and we will defeat” https://t.co/1LntlB7T7E pic.twitter.com/WXH7B9OZDA
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 20, 2021
Biden hit on the theme multiple times during his speech, also saying that “racism” has “long torn” the country apart.
“Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal, and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart,” Biden said.
“Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal, and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart.”
President @JoeBiden addresses the nation after his inauguration. pic.twitter.com/1GcLUid2qL
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 20, 2021
Biden said these divisions in American society “are not new,” but signaled optimistically that the country’s “better angels have always prevailed” in helping Americans live up to their founding ideals.
“The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured,” Biden said. “Through civil war, the Great Depression, world war, and 9/11. Through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed.”
The remarks came before Biden tried to pivot to the central theme of his speech and campaign, which was to unify the country in a time of deep division.
“And in each of these moments, enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward, and we can do that now,” Biden said. “History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos.”
Biden’s message of unity comes at a time of great partisan divide amid differing approaches to the coronavirus pandemic, a summer of racial justice protests and riots, and a hotly contested election that culminated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters.
