Washington DC:

Outgoing US President Joe Biden warned Americans about a “dangerous concentration of power” among a few wealthy people in the United States and urged them to “stand guard” against threats from oligarchs, disinformation and AI in a future under Donald Trump as he delivered a farewell address on Wednesday ahead of stepping down next week.

In a brief Oval Office speech, the Democrat touted his achievements in steering the US economy out of the deep crisis inflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic and said he had made the nation’s alliances abroad stronger.

In a veiled reference to incoming President Trump’s close ties to billionaire Elon Musk and other tycoons, he said an “oligarchy is taking shape in America” — and “a dangerous concentration of power.”

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedom and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” Biden said.

It’s been the privilege of my life to serve our nation for over 50 years.

I’ve given my heart and soul to you, and I’ve been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people.

Join me as I deliver my farewell address. https://t.co/DRr4U4sa7B

— President Biden (@POTUS) January 16, 2025

He said the ultra-rich people around Trump represent a concentration of “extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy.”

Recalling the warning issued by former president Dwight Eisenhower in his own farewell address in 1961 about the dangers of an out-of-control military-industrial complex, he said, “I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech industrial complex.”

The President also warned that Americans are succumbing to misinformation and that press freedoms are deteriorating and noted a “crumbling” media means people are increasingly vulnerable.

“Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power,” he said, adding that “the free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing.”

He said that social media is giving up on fact-checking. “The truth is smothered by lies- told for the power and profit. We must hold the social platforms accountable to protect our children, our families and our very democracy, from the abusive power,” he said.

Also clearly referring to Trump’s plans to roll back environmental protections and withdraw from a major international global accord on combating global warming, Biden said “powerful forces want to wield their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we’ve taken to tackle the climate crisis, to serve their own interest for power and profit.”

Naming another increasingly global challenge, Biden said artificial intelligence “is the most consequential technology of our time” that could bring huge benefits but also poses “risks for our economy and our security, our society.”

He noted that after eight months of nonstop negotiation by his administration, a ceasefire and hostage deal had been reached by Hamas.

The President is leaving office with a low approval rating – though higher than his predecessor and successor did. Biden’s term officially ends on January 20 with Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Washington:

Joe Biden said Monday that America was stronger on the global stage than it had been for decades, in a swansong foreign policy speech one week before Donald Trump’s White House comeback.

The outgoing US president took aim at Russia, China and Iran, and urged the West to maintain support for Ukraine in an address at the State Department setting out his international legacy.

But Biden’s unspoken target was Trump as he touted his rebuilding of international alliances over the last four years after his Republican rival’s chaotic first term.

“The United States is winning the worldwide competition compared to four years ago,” said Biden, after diplomats at the State Department gave him a standing ovation.

“America is stronger. Our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker.”

The Democrat added that America’s ties with its allies were the strongest “in decades,” and said partners in the NATO military alliance were now “paying their fair share.”

Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO countries, at one point saying he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell it wants” to allies that did not pay their way.

The incoming president has also previously expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin — but Biden mocked Putin over the progress of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“When Putin invaded, he thought he’d conquer Kyiv in a matter of days. The truth is, since that war began I’m the only one that stood in the center of Kyiv, not him,” said Biden.

Biden became the first sitting US president to visit a warzone not controlled by American forces when he made a top secret visit to Ukraine’s capital in 2023.

He said the United States and its allies “can’t walk away” from Ukraine, to which Washington has sent billions of dollars in military aid since the war started in 2022.

– China won’t ‘surpass’ US –

“There is more to do,” said Biden.

Trump has vowed to get a Russia-Ukraine peace deal “in 24 hours” and there are fears in Kyiv he may force a ceasefire that sees Ukraine cede territory to Moscow.

Biden meanwhile insisted that China would “never surpass us” and that the United States would remain the world’s dominant superpower.

“According to the latest predictions, on China’s current course they will never surpass us — period,” Biden said.

He added that Washington managed its complex ties with Beijing and that the relationship “never tipped over into conflict” in his four years as president.

Biden’s speech was more restrained on Israel’s war in Gaza, with his administration facing criticism from within his own party for its unstinting support of Israel.

But he said a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal was “on the brink” of “finally coming to fruition.”

The Democrat also defended another major foreign policy fiasco — the fall of Afghanistan’s US-backed government to the Taliban and the bloody US withdrawal of 2021.

“Ending the war was the right thing to do. And I believe history will reflect that,” Biden said.

The 82-year-old president finally urged the Trump administration to continue Biden’s green energy policies, saying climate deniers under Trump were “dead wrong” and “come from a different century.”

Biden’s foreign policy speech will be followed by a farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office in primetime on Wednesday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

President Joe Biden. File
| Photo Credit: AP

President Joe Biden will deliver a farewell address to the nation Wednesday (January 15, 2025) from the Oval Office, five days before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in.

The president’s remarks at 8 p.m. Eastern are set to be his last significant opportunity to speak to Americans and the world before he leaves office at noon on January 20. They will follow a speech Monday at the State Department, where he will deliver an address focused on his foreign policy legacy.

On Friday (January 10), speaking from the Roosevelt Room, Mr. Biden said he didn’t think that dropping out of the presidential race over the summer helped deliver the election to Trump.

Mr. Biden stepped aside amid enormous pressure from Democrats following a disastrous debate performance, and Kamala Harris ran in his place with just a few months to set up a campaign that normally is years in the making.

“I think I would have beaten Mr. Trump, and I think that Kamala could have — would have beaten Trump,” he said. “I thought it was important to unify the party. Even though I thought I could win again, I thought it was better to unify the party.”

Mr. Biden said he didn’t want to cause a divided party to lose an election, adding: “That’s why I stepped aside. But I was confident she could win.”

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier Friday that Biden would reflect on his “50-plus years as a public official” in his speech Monday.

“He has some thoughts on the future, not just of the country, but how this country moves forward as a leader, when you think about global events, important global issues, and certainly he will lay that out,” she said.

US President Joe Biden will give a televised farewell address to the nation on Wednesday.