On the eve of Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday, Mr. Biden said a final farewell to a state that takes on special significance after his victory in the 2020 Democratic primary allowed the octogenarian to achieving his life’s goal, being elected President of the United States.
President Biden spoke to the congregation at Royal Missionary Baptist Church about why he got involved in public service – naming Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy as political heroes.
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On the eve of the federal holiday honoring the civil rights leader, Mr. Biden struck a more optimistic tone for the country’s future than in his televised farewell address last Wednesday, when he warned against an oligarchy of the ultra-rich which would take root and a technical-industrial complex which would hinder the future of democracy.
“We know that the fight to redeem the soul of this nation is difficult and ongoing. We must remain hopeful. We must stay engaged. We must always keep faith in a better day to come.”
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-Joe Biden
Before the service, as hostages began to be released under a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that the United States helped broker, Mr. Biden said that “weapons to Gaza are silent.” He noted that in May he presented the agreement to end the fighting.
“It is now up to the next administration to help implement this agreement. I was happy to see our team speaking with one voice in the last days,” the president said, before giving some advice to his successor on maintaining the hard-won agreement.
“Success will require perseverance, continued support for our friends in the region and belief in diplomacy backed by deterrence,” Biden said.
