Washington: President Joe Biden has asked Americans to be wary of the “dangerous” elites that have emerged under Donald Trump.
In a televised address from the Oval Office on Wednesday, the 82-year-old, who is due to leave office next week after one term, warned against the unchecked power of a wealthy “tech industrial complex”.
“An oligarchy of extreme wealth, power and influence is emerging in America today that threatens our entire democracy,” the 82-year-old Democrat said.
“This is a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few wealthy people.”
Biden also criticized social media firms, with X owner and world’s richest man Elon Musk poised to play a key role in supporting the incoming Trump administration and meta-boss Mark Zuckerberg supporting Republicans.
“Americans are buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power,” Biden said.
Biden also warned of the dangers of AI, saying the US should “take the lead” over China on transformative technology, and said “powerful forces” put its climate achievements at risk.
Signing Trump’s return for a second term on January 20, Biden told Americans: “Now it’s your turn to protect.”
Biden’s speech took a dark turn as he launched into his legacy on the economy, health care, climate and tackling the gun violence plaguing the United States.
America’s longest-serving president has spent much of his final months trying to burnish his reputation before running for office in the 2020 election to replace the bitter political rival he defeated — As a result, Trump is still a victim of controversy.
Biden’s efforts received a boost early Wednesday after Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire and hostage-free deal. Cooperate with the team.
“The Spirit of America”
But his legacy was badly damaged by his decision to run for a second term despite his age.
The Democrat was forced to drop out of the race last June after a disastrous debate against the 78-year-old Trump, who won a landslide victory over Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris.
Polls show Biden is still an unpopular president. A CNN poll published Wednesday showed him with a 36 percent approval rating, the lowest of his term.
That puts him above Trump, who left office with a 34 percent approval rating, according to the American Presidency Project. The lowest in recent times was Richard Nixon at 24 percent, while the highest was Bill Clinton at 66 percent, followed by Barack Obama at 59 percent.
In a letter reviewing his remarks, Biden took an apparent swipe at Trump earlier Wednesday, saying he “ran for president because I believed the very soul of America was at stake.”
“And, that’s still the case,” Biden said in the letter.
Biden added in the letter that “I have given my heart and my soul to my nation” and that “it has been the honor of my life to serve this nation for more than 50 years.”
The White House also released a more than 100-page dossier detailing his policies, from the economy to health care and climate change. Successes are described.
In a farewell interview in The Washington Post published Wednesday, outgoing first lady Jill Biden criticized the Democratic Party for pressuring Biden.
“Let’s just say I’m disappointed with how it turned out,” he said.
Emotions ran high in the White House ahead of his speech.
Press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre — part of a team that brought back regular media briefings after Trump eliminated them during his first term — fought back tears at her final appearance at the iconic podium as she called it “the honor of a lifetime.” “Said.