Inaugural Joe Biden’s speech, much of which he devoted to the need to unite Americans and overcome divisions, was right in terms of the moment, according to experts interviewed by Izvestia. However, in their opinion, she was not inspiring and was inferior in oratory content to the speeches of the Democrat’s predecessors – Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Besides, if the new US leadership continues to write supporters of the former president as extremists and insist on the impeachment of their leader, it will be very difficult to achieve unity in society…
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Doctor and chaos
The most intimate inauguration of the US president in decades was held in Washington… Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organizers of the ceremony decided to donate the mass. The riots in the capital on January 6, ending with the capture of the Capitol by a group of Donald Trump supporters, finally convinced them that large-scale events on January 20, 2021 would be fraught with too many risks. To protect peace and, apparently, democracy, 25 thousand National Guards arrived in the city, and as a result there were several times more than the guests sworn in by Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris… Where there used to be hundreds of thousands of spectators, the flags were replaced this time to create a “presence effect.”
However, the dignitaries were still allowed to attend the inauguration. Among those who came to congratulate Joe Biden were ex-President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, former US leader George W. Bush with his wife Laura, as well as ex-White House head Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle.… Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen did not miss the celebration. Unlike his boss Donald Trump, who only left a note for Joe Biden at the White House, Mike Pence did not break tradition.
Before Kamala Harris and Joe Biden took the oath, several politicians spoke from the rostrum on the steps of the Capitol. And all of them could not resist the temptation to remind that on January 6 a serious blow was dealt to American democracy, but now – with the coming to power of a democrat – the United States will be saved from violence and aggression. Traditionally, following the swearing-in of vice president and president, the new American leader delivered an inaugural address. And if Donald Trump in 2017 gave the word “to make America great again”, then Joe Biden’s speech boiled down to a promise to make America united again…
Without a trace of modesty, the new US leader said that January 20, 2021 is a day of “history, hope and renewal.”
“At this hour, my friends, democracy has won,” Joe Biden assured.
According to him, America constantly faced difficult trials, but always coped with them. And his victory in the elections is just the case when the country was able to find an answer to one of the challenges sent to it, because “the will of the people was heard”, and the Americans learned that “democracy is valuable, democracy is fragile.” However now the United States must achieve unity to get through the “historic moment of crisis”… Joe Biden promised to be president of all fellow citizens and “fight” even for those who voted for Donald Trump.
If the split in society is not overcome, the United States will face chaos in which the country will face “bitterness, rage, lack of progress.”… According to Biden, Americans need to learn to listen to each other and not turn differences into war.
“Today I wish with all my heart to lead America to unity, to unite citizens and the country,” the head of the White House emphasized.
In his speech, Joe Biden also touched upon the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis it caused. He promised to cure the states and overcome financial problems. In memory of the 400,000 Americans killed, the President declared a minute of silence. Meanwhile, having devoted most of his time to American affairs, the democrat has not forgotten about the rest of the world. However, he paid little attention to international relations.
The politician assured that under him Washington will restore relations with allies and intensify interaction with other world players… According to him, the United States will become “a strong and reliable partner in the cause of peace, progress and security,” and will also lead the world by “setting an example.”
After the inauguration ceremony, the White House said that the priorities of the Joe Biden administration will be the fight against coronavirus, climate, racial justice, the economy, immigration and the restoration of the US position in the world.…
Already sounded words
According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, Joe Biden, on the whole, uttered the right words. But his speech is hardly inspiring or festive.… Of course, the pandemic partly left an imprint on the speech, but this is largely due to the personality of the new president, said Valery Garbuzov, director of the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
– Typically, the president’s inauguration speech is a concentrated presentation of the vision of future politics. If he is a good speaker, then the speech turns out to be bright, then he is re-read and snapped up for quotes. Biden’s speech showed that he is certainly not a public speaker, – the expert told Izvestia.
In addition, in the content of his speech, he mainly concentrated on the internal state of America, highlighting the main thing, in his opinion, the fight against pandemic and extremism, by which the current US leaders now understand the actions of Donald Trump’s supporters.
– But fundamentally new, which could be considered the core of his future policy, was not voiced here. The speech was much paler than the speeches of Obama and, even more so, Trump… It’s hardly inspiring. It is clear that as a leader he is not as bright as his predecessors. But still, the inauguration is a holiday where everyone is waiting for inspiring speeches from the leader, ”Valery Garbuzov explained.
What is important now is not what Joe Biden said, but how he will confirm it in practice, the president of the American University in Moscow, Edward Lozansky, is sure. Against the background of the impeachment of Donald Trump, which millions of supporters are ready to follow, it will be extremely difficult to unite America.
– Biden echoed the words he had spoken before about the triumph of democracy and about being president for all Americans. However, it is not yet clear whether people who did not vote for him will believe him.… After all, this is about half of the country and many of them believe that the elections were rigged. Biden has a good chance to unite the United States by asking Senate Democrats not to vote to impeach Trump. But will he find the courage and strategic vision to do so? There is no certainty about this, ”the expert told Izvestia.
Play the party
Meanwhile, Donald and Melania Trump, as expected, did not take part in Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony. Instead, early in the morning, the 45th President of the United States and the first lady went to the Andrews military base in Maryland., where the politician spoke to his supporters. Not typical of himself, the Republican was moderately peaceful and did not start again his favorite album about the “stolen elections”. Donald Trump even found the strength to wish the new administration good luck, and also thanked the American people for the opportunity to be its president.… Talking about his achievements, he separately touched on “record low taxes” and expressed the hope that after his departure they will not be raised. “But I warned you,” Donald Trump hinted at the Democrats’ fiscal plans.
Meanwhile, information appeared in the American media that the now ex-president was thinking about creating a new conservative political force – the “Patriotic Party”… According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, he is quite capable of taking such a step, since he has a huge army of supporters. However, this will be a big blow to the Republican Party, which will lose a significant portion of its electorate, effectively making the Democrats the dominant force in the United States.
However, it is too early to talk about this as a decision. According to Eduard Lozansky, much will depend on the results of the vote to impeach Donald Trump in the Senate… If the Democrats can win over to their side 17 Republicans, whom they lack to find a politician guilty of crimes, the ex-president may think more seriously about creating his own platform. If the Republicans still defend the former head of the White House, then all this may remain at the level of ideas and rumors.
By the way, Senate impeachment proceedings were to begin an hour after Joe Biden’s inauguration, which, according to media reports, caused him great anxiety, as it would shift the focus of attention. However, at 23:00 Moscow time, the senators did not begin the trial of Donald Trump.… According to sources in the American press, some of the Democrats supported Biden’s doubts and spoke in favor of postponing the process and not interfering with the new president from doing good deeds on his first day in office.
– The story of impeachment is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the purpose of the impeachment after the departure of the president is to neutralize him forever. On the other hand, if the impeachment goes through and succeeds, it will cause a response from the Republicans. Some of them will group up and strike at the democrats. The concentration of political rejection at one end of the spectrum immediately gives rise to a response, – Valery Garbuzov explained.
According to him, if Donald Trump decides to create his own party, then it will consist of those whom he will be able to tear away from the Republicans… And although it will not have great prospects, it will split the conservative electorate. As a result, the Democrats will only benefit from this, the expert is sure.