President Biden delivers his farewell address from the Oval Office, reflecting on his presidency, key achievements, and challenges. He emphasizes unity, democracy, and hope for the future while urging continued civic engagement and leadership.
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#BidenFarewell #OvalOffice #Unity #Democracy #Hope #Presidency #Challenges #Achievements #Leadership #CivicEngagement #Oneindia #OneindiaNews
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NewsTranscript
00:00My fellow Americans, I'm speaking to you tonight from the Oval Office.
00:05Before I begin, let me speak to important news from earlier today.
00:10After eight months of non-stop negotiation, by my administration, a ceasefire and a hostages
00:18deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas, the elements of which I laid out in great detail
00:24in May of this year. This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely
00:31implemented by the incoming administration. That's why I told my team to keep the incoming
00:37administration fully informed, because that's how it should be, working together as Americans.
00:44This will be my final address to you from the American people from the Oval Office,
00:48from this desk as President. And I've been thinking a lot about who we are and maybe
00:54more importantly, who we should be. Long ago in New York Harbor, an iron worker installed
01:02beam after beam, day after day. He was joined by steel workers, stone masons, engineers.
01:09They built not just a single structure, but a beacon of freedom. The very idea of America was
01:16so big, we felt the entire world needed to see. The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France after
01:24our civil war. Like the very idea of America, it was built not by one person, but by many people
01:31from every background and from around the world. Like America, the Statue of Liberty is not
01:38standing still. Her foot literally steps forward atop a broken chain of human bondage. She's on
01:46the march and she literally moves. She's built the sway back and forth to withstand the fury
01:53of stormy weather, to stand the test of time because storms are always coming.
01:59She sways a few inches, but she never falls into the current below. An engineering marvel.
02:05The Statue of Liberty is also an enduring symbol of the soul of our nation.
02:11A soul shaped by forces that bring us together and by forces that pull us apart.
02:16And yet through good times and tough times, we've withstood it all. A nation of pioneers and
02:22explorers, of dreamers and doers, of ancestors native to this land, of ancestors who came by
02:30force. A nation of immigrants came to build a better life. A nation holding the torch of the
02:38most powerful idea ever in the history of the world, that all of us, all of us are created equal.
02:46That all of us deserve to be treated with dignity, justice, and fairness. That democracy
02:54must defend and be defined and be imposed, moved in every way possible.
03:03Our rights, our freedoms, our dreams. But we know the idea of America, our institution,
03:10our people, our values that uphold it are constantly being tested.
03:15Ongoing debates about power and the exercise of power,
03:19but whether we lead by the example of our power or the power of our example,
03:25whether we show the courage to stand up to the abuse of power or we yield to it.
03:31After 50 years at the center of all of this, I know that believing in the idea of America
03:38means respecting the institutions that govern a free society. The presidency, the Congress,
03:46the courts, a free and independent press. Institutions that are rooted,
03:53they just might not reflect the timeless words, but they echo the words of the Declaration of
04:01Independence. We hold these truths to be self-evident. Rooted in the timeless words
04:07of the Constitution, we, the people. Our system of separation of powers,
04:14checks and balances, it may not be perfect, but it's maintained our democracy for nearly 250 years,
04:22longer than any other nation in history that's ever tried such a bold experiment.
04:28In the past four years, our democracy has held strong.
04:32And every day I've kept my commitment to be president for all Americans.
04:36Through one of the toughest periods in our nation's history,
04:40I've had a great partner and Vice President Kamala Harris. It's been the honor of my life
04:46to see the resilience of essential workers getting us through a once-in-a-century pandemic.
04:52The heroism of service members and first responders keeping us safe.
04:57The determination of advocates standing up for our rights and our freedoms
05:02instead of losing their jobs to an economic crisis that we inherited. Millions of Americans
05:09now have the dignity of work. Millions of entrepreneurs and companies creating new
05:14businesses and industries, hiring American workers, using American products.
05:21Together, we've launched a new era of American possibilities.
05:26One of the greatest modernizations of infrastructure in our entire history,
05:30from new roads, bridges, clean water, affordable high-speed Internet for every American.
05:37We invented the semiconductor, smaller than the tip of my little finger,
05:42and now it's bringing those chip factories and those jobs back to America where they belong,
05:47creating thousands of jobs. Finally, giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription
05:54drug prices for millions of seniors. And finally, doing something to protect our children
06:01and our families by passing the most significant gun safety law in 30 years
06:07and bringing violent crime to a 50-year low, meeting our sacred obligation to over 1 million
06:13veterans so far who are exposed to toxic materials and to their families, providing medical care and
06:21education benefits and more for their families. You know, it will take time to feel the full
06:29impact of all we've done together, but the seeds are planted and they'll grow and they'll bloom
06:35for decades to come. At home, we've created nearly 17 million new jobs more than any other single
06:42administration in a single term. More people have healthcare than ever before. And overseas,
06:49we've strengthened NATO. Ukraine is still free. And we've pulled ahead of our competition with
06:55China and so much more. I'm so proud of how much we've accomplished together for the American
07:02people. And I wish the incoming administration success because I want America to succeed.
07:10That's why I've held my duty to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power,
07:16to ensure we lead by the power of our example.
07:20I have no doubt that America is in a position to continue to succeed.
07:24That's why my farewell address tonight, I want to warn the country of some things that give me
07:29great concern. This is a dangerous con- and that's a dangerous concentration of power
07:36in the hands of a very few ultra-wealthy people. The dangerous consequences,
07:42if their abuse of power is left unchecked. Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme
07:50wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic
07:55rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. We see the consequences all across
08:03America, and we've seen it before. More than a century ago, the American people stood up
08:11to the robber barons back then and busted the trusts. They didn't punish the wealthy,
08:18just made the wealthy pay by the rules everybody else had to.
08:22Workers want rights to earn their fair share. You know, they were dealt into the deal
08:29and helped put us on a path to building the largest middle class, the most prosperous century
08:35any nation in the world has ever seen. We've got to do that again. The last four years,
08:42that is exactly what we've done. People should be able to make as much as they can, but pay,
08:48play by the same rules, pay their fair share of taxes. So much is at stake. Right now,
08:56the existential threat of climate change has never been clear. Just look across the country,
09:03from California to North Carolina. That's why I signed the most significant climate and clean
09:09energy law ever, ever in the history of the world, and the rest of the world is trying to model it
09:14now. It's working, creating jobs and industries of the future. Now, we've proven we don't have
09:21to choose between protecting the environment and growing the economy. We're doing both.
09:28The powerful forces want to wield their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we've taken
09:33to tackle the climate crisis, to serve their own interest for power and profit.
09:40We must not be bullied into sacrificing the future, the future of our children and our
09:45grandchildren. We must keep pushing forward and push faster. There's no time to waste.
09:53It's also clear that American leadership in technology is unparalleled, an unparalleled
09:59source of innovation that can transform lives. We see the same dangers of a concentration of
10:06technology, power, and wealth. You know, as farewell address, President Eisenhower
10:13spoke of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. He warned us then about, and I quote,
10:19the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power, end of quote. Six days,
10:27six decades later, I'm equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech-industrial complex
10:34that could pose real dangers for our country as well. Americans are being buried under an
10:41avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power. The free press is
10:48crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking.
10:55The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit. We must hold the social platforms
11:02accountable to protect our children, our families, and our very democracy from the abuse of power.
11:11Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology of our time,
11:18perhaps of all time. Nothing offers more profound possibilities and risks for our economy
11:26and our security, our society, for humanity. Artificial intelligence even has the potential
11:34to help us answer my call to end cancer as we know it. But unless safeguards are in place,
11:40AI could spawn new threats to our rights, our way of life, to our privacy,
11:46how we work, and how we protect our nation. We must make sure AI is safe and trustworthy
11:52and good for all humankind. In the age of AI, it's more important than ever that the people
12:00must govern. And as the land of liberty, America, not China, must lead the world in the development
12:09of AI. You know, in the years ahead, it'll help to be – it's going to be up to the president,
12:17the presidency, the Congress, the courts, the free press, and the American people to confront
12:23these powerful forces. We must reform the tax code, not by giving the biggest tax cuts to
12:29billionaires, but by making them begin to pay their fair share. We need to get dark money. That's that
12:35hidden funding behind too many campaign contributions. We need to get it out of
12:39our politics. We need to enact an 18-year time limit, term limit, time and term,
12:46for the strongest ethics and the strongest ethical reforms for our Supreme Court. We need to ban
12:52members of Congress from trading stock while they're in the Congress. We need to amend the
12:58Constitution to make clear that no president – no president is immune from crimes that he or she
13:05commits while in office. The president's power is not limited. It's not absolute. And it shouldn't be.
13:13And in a democracy, there's another danger to the concentration of power and wealth.
13:19It erodes a sense of unity and common purpose. It causes distrust and division.
13:27Participating in our democracy becomes exhausting and even disillusioning.
13:32And people don't feel like they have a fair shot. We have to stay engaged in the process.
13:38I know it's frustrating. A fair shot is what makes America, America.
13:44Everyone's entitled to a fair shot. Not a guarantee, but just a fair shot. An even playing field.
13:51Going as far as your hard work and talent can take you.
13:55We can never lose that essential truth. We remain who we are.
13:59I've always believed, and I've told other world leaders, America can be defined by one word.
14:06Possibilities. Only in America do we believe anything is possible.
14:13Like a kid with a stutter from a modest beginning in Scranton, Pennsylvania,
14:17in Claymont, Delaware, sitting behind this desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States.
14:24That's the magic of America. It's all around us.
14:28Upstairs in the residence of the White House, I've walked by a painting of the Statue of Liberty
14:34I don't know how many times. In the painting, there are several workers climbing on the
14:40outstretched arm of the statue that holds the torch. It reminds me every day I pass it
14:47of the story and soul of our nation and the power of the American people.
14:54There's a story of a veteran. This is a veteran, the son of an immigrant,
14:58whose job was to climb that torch and polish the amber panes so rays of light could reach
15:05out as far as possible. He was known as the keeper of the flame. He once said of the Statue
15:12of Liberty, quote, speaks a silent universal language, one of hope that anyone who seeks
15:21and speaks freedom can understand. Yes, we sway back and forth to withstand the fury of the storm,
15:29to stand the test of time, a constant struggle, constant struggle, a short distance between
15:36peril and possibility. But what I believe is the America of our dreams is always closer than we
15:44think. It's up to us to make our dreams come true. Let me close by stating my gratitude to so
15:52many people. To the members of my administration, as well as public service and first responders
15:58across the country and around the world, thank you for stepping up to serve. To our service members
16:06and your families, it's been the highest honor of my life to lead you as Commander-in-Chief
16:13and, of course, to Kamala and her incredible partner,
16:17a historic Vice President. She and Doug have become like family. To me, family is everything.
16:25My deepest appreciation to our amazing First Lady, who's with me in the Ovals today,
16:31for our entire family. You're the love of my life and the life's of my love.
16:38My eternal thanks to you, the American people.
16:42After 50 years of public service, I give you my word. I still believe in the idea
16:49for which this nation stands, a nation where the strengths of our institutions
16:54and the character of our people matter and must endure. Now it's your turn to stand guard.
17:02May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it, too.
17:09God bless you all. May God protect our troops. Thank you for this great honor.