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THE NEW PRESIDENT of the United States Joe Biden strongly emphasised unity in his inauguration speech today, which he said is the path forward through the “historic moment of crisis and challenge” facing America.
“This is America’s day,” Biden said. “This is democracy’s day, a day of history and hope.
“I pledge this to you. I will be a president for all Americans. All Americans. I will fight as hard for those who didn’t support me as those who did.”
Joe Biden was sworn in today as the 46th President, succeeding Donald Trump, and today issued a call for people to put aside their political differences going forward.
“The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer, for the survival of the planet itself, a cry that can’t be any more desperate. Now the rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront, and we will defeat.
“With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. Without unity there is no peace. Only bitterness and fury, no progress. Only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge and unity is the path forward.
“We must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured. Fellow Americans, we have to be different. America has to be better than this. And I believe America is so much better than that.
“We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban or conservative versus liberal. Here’s my message that goes beyond our borders. America has been tested, and we’ve come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again.
“Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson: there is truth and there are lies. Lied told for power and for profit. And each of us has a responsibility – as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders [...] to defend the truth and defeat the lies.”
The new US President said that the country may be about to face into the toughest stage of the pandemic so far, and asked people to pray for the 400,000 people who’ve died with the virus.
“We must finally set aside politics and face this pandemic as one nation,” Biden said. “We will get through this together.”
Instead of quoting an Irish poet – as he has done in previous speeches – the new US President quoted singer-songwriter Norah Jones during his speech.
“America, America. I gave my best to you,” he said, from Jones’ song American Anthem.
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Finally Back To Some Sort of International Sanity
@Liam Clyne: 4 years of awful memes here we come.
@Jimmy Fagan: Unfortunately not in the USA
Excellent speech!
@Tricia G: indeed
@Tricia G: I particularly liked when he showed how he means to heal division by wishing Donald Trump well for the future…oh hang on!
@rogermcnally1: Why would he bother even acknowledging Trump when he couldn’t be arsed to even attend the event, I’m glad he wasn’t mentioned once. Why spoil a good day?
@rogermcnally1: I liked the part where he appealed to those that didn’t support him and pledged to fight for them just as hard as he’ll fight for those that did.
And how truth is important.
@rogermcnally1: He thanked guys predecessors. Unfortunately, that includes Trump.
@Ger McDonnell: his…
@Tricia G: And how is he going to do that? Great saying all those words but how will he back it up? 74 million voted for the other guy including a lot of minoritys and blacks.
@Jamo: And Clinton got more votes than Trump. Where were you then?
Biden will do what he can. He will never be able to bring everyone along, but he won’t deliberately and vindictively exclude them.
@Tricia G: I like truth, Mom’s apple pie and blue skys too, but I don’t expect career politicians to deliver them.
I hope you are right and I’m just jaded and cynical.
@rogermcnally1: All we can do is hold him and them accountable and vote.
Every 4 years for President,
Every 2 Years for Congress Representatives,
Every 7 years for Sentators
Good man, Joe. Heartening to see a compassionate human in the role again. That poem that girl recited was amazing too.
There’s hope for the world yet.
@JusticeForJoe: great hope all right, meanwhile his foot soldiers are cancelling every Trump voter that they can see.. does not bode well at all at all..
For the masses who believe this is some kind of landmark day of change, unity and harmony of the American people and a positive day for Ireland, oh dear
@Hugo Bugo: Agree other than Trump himself could they have two worse people as president and vice president?
@Hugo Bugo: at least he’ll be reversing the awful environmental policies that Trump introduced. So yes, the entire planet will benefit from a Biden administration.
@Hugo Bugo: Bingo Bongo
Hands across the water, potentially a good day for lreland too.
@Seymour hands up business:
Same old rhetoric. America is and will always be divided. A sad fact.
@WreckDefier: Except for the Irish media, they are not divided for sure. My God, the intrinsic partisan nature of the Irish journalists is unheard of.. and completely unaware themselves… Dunning Kruger anyone?!
@Raymond Scott: Weak. Nothing to do with it the D-K effect. It’s just a general consensus on what the world witnessed over the last 4 years, with a shocking crescendo that caught even the most cynical by surprise. He came, they saw, he left with the lowest approval rating of any president ever. There are many good reasons for that.
@JusticeForJoe: ‘ It’s just a general consensus’… lol, says it all…. ‘It is just what we all should think you know… like, otherwise we cancel you…’
@Raymond Scott: Ahh man. Don’t go down the “cancel culture” road. Ya might as well say ‘MAGA’ or StopTheSteal
@Raymond Scott: Can you give any examples? Sometimes this all gets mixed up with the fact that not all alternative thoughts deserve attention. I’d equate it to sport – would you expect lawn bowls to fill the same number of pages that GAA, football or rugby does ….. that’s not cancel culture, its just a reflection on what people are interested in.
On the flip side, in the case of say anti-vaxers, they get way more media attention than they deserve, particularly when you consider the amount of debunked nonsense they still go on with.
Well done Joe, you can achieve anything with MSM behind you.
Question : what country do you think he’ll invade first? With American troops or a proxy war? When? Within the first year or later?
@Tony Ember: great question! He will never last 4 years without creating a war somewhere or invading a country “for its own good”
@Tony Ember: Toss up between Iran and North Korea.
@Tony Ember: sure at least he didn’t invade his own country. Bit of an own goal there.
What a contrast to his predecessor’s “This American Carnage” speech 4 years ago.
Also hard to imagine it was only 4 years ago that at this time Sean Spicer kicked off the Trump Administration by holding a presser at the Whitehouse about how the media was lying about the inauguration crowd turnout…
@Diaspora’d: That really was surreal…….
@Diaspora’d: he’s had 47 years to prepare it
Thank God Joe is in and the Orange !mbecile out
God bless America and God bless President Biden
Finally
God have mercy on the souls in Iran.
Good luck he’s gonna need alot of it.
Unplug, a complete reboot is needed after the mess it was left in
@Jim Beatty: You mean a Great Reset and Build Back Better.
@Jim Beatty: 74 million people u can’t unplug or reset I’m afraid but best of luck with that magical reset
Jez, more Trump bashing than congrats for Biden on this thread, guess the programming worked.
@Blue Avians: Nope both can be done. If you think Trump shouldn’t be bashed then you must have been living under a rock for the last 4 years.
@Blue Avians: trump incompetent… added 7 trillion to U.S. debt in 4 years.. just that alone means he was one of the worst presidents of all time.. he has damaged the U.S. severely..simple number indicates how he had no idea how to run a country..
Sure isn’t that what Trump wanted – to be in the spotlight on the last day by behaving like a spoilt child. Couldn’t finish up with any dignity.
Biden’s speech was such a contrast to 4years ago. Civility, honour, normality and unity returns. But who was that despicable Republican commentator on RTE accusing Biden and Harris of being criminals? Deserves to be run out of town.
@D: Not much civility in running someone out of town..
@Valthebear: Does a bear sh¦÷ in the woods?
@D: Yes I heard him it was disgraceful.
He’s a bit different from the last fella. Needs to hit the sunbeds.
Has a lot of work just to undo the other lad’s mess. Hope he can do it.
In Joe we trust
Hopefully, the US will return to some normality over the next few years.
He never quoted Heaney ?
@Tony O Neill: I watched the entire ceremony. But it was earlier this am in Delaware, his home state, he quoted James Joyce when he addressed the crowd in his farewell speech. He said that Joyce said, “When I die you’ll find the word Dublin is engraved on my heart.” Joe added that when he died they’d find the word Delaware engraved on his heart.
@Donna Bradley: I thought he was dead already.
I like Joe Biden, he is Presidential, he had a speech impediment from childhood that he handles very well, I felt for him when he mispronounced words once or twice during his speech today but he corrected himself and handled it very well. Anyway, what America needs right now is not a brilliant speech maker, it’s somebody who will do the work of the White House that been neglected for the last four years.
Next week he will unleash war on the middle class!
We need a time where we should look at the positives in every day… there is too much negativity in the world… please be kind, stay safe and remember loved and lost ones
We need a world of positive com
Only the lord really in charge for little old me world peace :)
Bye then trump
A,breathe of,fresh air
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