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.

Moscow:

US President Joe Biden, who is in Brazil to attend the G-20 Summit, announced a multimillion-dollar plan to “reforest the Amazon” on Sunday. Biden held a press conference in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil’s Manaus, where he talked about conservation and the investments his administration has made in clean energy infrastructure. But, the US president took no questions about the United States’s just-announced decision to clear Ukraine to use long-range American missiles to strike inside Russia in a major escalation of the conflict.

Following this, RT, the Russian state-controlled international news television network, posted a video of the US President appearing to “wander off” into the Amazon rainforest, on X (formally Twitter) and asked, “Where you going Joe?”

Where you going Joe?

Biden finishes press conference, answers no questions, wanders off into the Amazon Jungle pic.twitter.com/r2Hl5NoUhi

— RT (@RT_com) November 18, 2024

The clip showed outgoing US president Biden standing at a podium in a loose-fitting blue outdoor shirt and sunglasses. He suddenly turns, waves, and appears to walk right into the forest, rather than following the path in front of him.

“Biden finishes press conference, answers no questions, wanders off into the Amazon Jungle,”  the Russian state media portal said in the post on X.

This was the second post on RT’s X handle in the last 24 hours, which seemed to be mocking Mr Biden’s decision, giving the green signal to Kyiv to use American missiles against military targets inside Russia. 

Earlier on Sunday, RT posted a screen grab of a media article on the Biden administration’s big move. A graphics interchange format (gif) image of a smiling US President was superimposed on the article. Posting the graphic, RT wrote, “Joe Biden planning his final vacation as US president be like”. 

Joe Biden planning his final vacation as US president be like pic.twitter.com/alvs3Elz2R

— RT (@RT_com) November 17, 2024

US Clears Kyiv To Use ATACMS Missiles

Acting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s long-standing demand for authorisation to use the powerful Army Tactical Missile System-known by its initials ATACMS-the Biden administration has lifted restrictions on Kyiv’s use of long-range missiles, allowing it to hit targets inside Russia. 

The move, which came weeks before Mr Biden left office, has angered the Kremlin. Accusing the US of “throwing oil on the fire”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision would mean Washington’s direct involvement in the conflict. 

Though there has been no official comment on the issue from the White House and incoming President Donald Trump, Mr Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, said: “The military-industrial complex seems to want to make sure they get World War III going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives.”

President-elect Trump, who is set to take office on January 20, repeatedly pledged during his election campaign to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war.
 

U.S. President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris are seen during an event in Washington. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The U.S. President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Kamala Harris condemned Hamas’s attack on Israel a year ago on Monday (October 7, 2024) while pushing for peace in the Middle East — treading a tightrope on a conflict that could impact next month’s US presidential election.

From candle-lighting to tree-planting, the President and the Vice President will take part in ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the October 7 attacks on key American ally Israel.

Republican Donald Trump, Ms. Harris’s rival in a tooth-and-nail election, was also due to take part in events to mark the anniversary of the surprise attacks by Hamas, in which 1,205 people were killed, most of them civilians, and 251 taken hostage.

But with the Middle East on the verge of all-out war and protests planned at home, the commemorations also underscore Biden and Harris’s apparent powerlessness to influence Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war.

“Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year of conflict,” Mr. Biden said in a statement.

MR. Biden lashed out at the “unspeakable brutality” of the attacks and said he and Ms. Harris were “fully committed” to the security of Israel against Iran and its regional allies Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

But he also described October 7 as a “dark day for the Palestinian people” and said he and Harris “will not stop working to achieve a ceasefire deal in Gaza.”

Ms. Harris said she was “devastated by the loss and pain of the Israeli people” but added that she was “heartbroken over the scale of death and destruction in Gaza over the past year.”

Both Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris said in their separate statements that a “diplomatic solution” as Israel pounds Lebanon to tackle the Hezbollah militia was the “only path” to a wider peace.

More than 41,909 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The United Nations has acknowledged these figures as reliable.

Candle-lighting

Mr. Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were set to take part in a Jewish candle-lighting ceremony with a rabbi at the White House at 11:45 am (1545 GMT).

Ms. Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff will separately plant a memorial tree at the vice president’s residence in Washington, then deliver remarks at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT), said her office.

Former President Trump was due to attend October 7 events in New York and Miami.

Protests against Israel’s war in Gaza were expected in New York and several US cities. A man set his arm on fire at a protest outside the White House on Saturday.

The Gaza war has caused political difficulties for Harris and Biden, with Arab and Muslim voters in key swing states and left-wing Democrats strongly opposed to the conflict.

The anniversary meanwhile comes as the Middle East threatens to slide into full-scale war less than a month before the US election, with Israel expected to retaliate imminently for a mass ballistic missile strike by Iran last week.

Mr. Biden has urged Israel not to attack Iran’s oil facilities, fearing it could push up oil prices, in turn hitting the US economy and harming Ms. Harris’s election chances.

Over the last year however Netanyahu has repeatedly ignored Biden’s calls for restraint.

Senior Democrats have questioned whether Mr. Netanyahu is trying to influence the election in favour of fellow right-winger Trump by holding off from any peace deal before the November 5 vote.

Mr. Biden said last week that “whether he’s (Netanyahu’s) trying to influence the election, I don’t know” but chided Mr. Netanyahu, saying that he “should remember” Washington’s strong support for Israel.

Mr. Trump has spoken little about the recent escalation in the Middle East in his campaign, although when he does he has blamed Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris for the crisis.

Last week Mr. Trump said he believes Israel should strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, after Mr. Biden advised against such an attack.

U.S. President Joe Biden. File
| Photo Credit: AP

“U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday (September 29, 2024) approved $567 million in defence assistance to Taiwan,” the White House said, as China ramps up political and military pressure on the self-ruled island.

While the United States does not officially recognise Taiwan diplomatically, it is Taipei’s key partner and major provider of weapons — a point of consternation for Beijing which has repeatedly called on Washington to stop arming the island, which it claims is part of its territory.

China’s ‘growing authoritarianism’ will not stop with Taiwan: President Lai Ching-te

In a brief statement, the White House said Mr. Biden had delegated the Secretary of State “to direct the drawdown of up to $567 million in defence articles and services of the Department of Defence, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan.”

It did not give details of the package, which is nearly twice the size of the $345 million in defence support approved in July last year.

The United States in April this year approved billions in military aid for Taiwan in the face of an increasingly assertive China which has upped military and political pressure on the island in recent years.

Beijing has regularly expressed anger at international support for Taipei and accused Washington of meddling in its affairs. China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and maintains a near-daily presence of fighter jets, drones and warships around the island.

Beijing has said it will never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and has also ramped up rhetoric about “unification” being “inevitable”.

Vice-President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden are co-headlining a campaign event on Monday (September 2, 2024) in the marquee battleground state of Pennsylvania as Ms. Harris balances presenting herself as “a new way forward” while remaining intensely loyal to Mr. Biden and the policies he has pushed.

The pair will attend Pittsburgh’s Labour Day parade and offer some remarks, the first time the two have shared a speaking slot on the political stage together since the surprising election shakeup that provided a fresh jolt of Democratic enthusiasm to the 2024 election.

Harris’ campaign has said Pennsylvania voters are newly energised since Ms. Harris moved to the top of the ticket six weeks ago, with tens of thousands of new volunteers signed up to canvass for her and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. Ms. Harris’ and Mr. Biden’s appearance at the parade, one of the largest such gatherings in the country, is part of a battleground state blitz with just over two months until Election Day.

Ms. Harris, 59, has sought to appeal to voters by positioning herself as a break from poisonous politics, rejecting the acerbic rhetoric of her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, while looking to move beyond the Mr. Biden era as well. Yet while her delivery may be very different from Mr. Biden’s, Ms. Harris’ agenda is chock-full of the same issues he has championed: capping the cost of prescription drugs, the Affordable Care Act, the economy and helping families afford child care.

“We fight for a future where we build what I call an opportunity economy, so that every American has the opportunity to own a home, start a business and to build wealth and intergenerational wealth. And a future where we lower the cost of living for America,” she said at a recent rally, echoing Mr. Biden’s calls to grow the economy “from the bottom out and the middle up”. Ms. Harris briefly appeared on stage with Mr. Biden after the President delivered his remarks on the opening night of last month’s Democratic National Convention, but the two haven’t shared a microphone at a political event since Mr. Biden himself was running for office. At that time, the campaign was using Ms. Harris mostly as its chief spokeswoman for abortion rights, an issue they believe can help them win in November as restrictions grow and health care worsens for women following the fall of Roe v. Wade.

The pair have appeared at official events and met together at the White House since the ticket—swap.

For more than 3 1/2 years, Ms. Harris has been one of Mr. Biden’s chief validators. Now the tables are turned, as Ms. Harris looks to lean on Mr. Biden — a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania — to help win the potentially decisive state. Mr. Biden, for his part, has laid low since ending his re-election bid. He was last at the White House on Aug. 19 and has since been vacationing in Southern California and Delaware.

But even as she’s taken on the mantle of leading the Democratic Party, Ms. Harris has stood steadfastly at Mr. Biden’s side. In her first sit-down interview of her candidacy, Ms. Harris delivered an impassioned defence of Mr. Biden’s record and ability to do the job, even despite the events of the past two months that ended with her running for the Oval Office and Mr. Biden a lame duck.

The 81-year-old President stepped aside in July following a disastrous debate performance with Trump and a growing chorus within his own party for him to make room for a new generation. Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump will debate on Sept. 10.

“He cares so deeply about the American people. He is so smart and — and loyal to the American people. And I have spent hours upon hours with him, be it in the Oval Office or the Situation Room. He has the intelligence, the commitment, and the judgment and disposition that I think the American people rightly deserve in their president,” she said in last week’s interview.

She added of Mr. Trump: “By contrast, the former president has none of that.” Ms. Harris said during the CNN interview that serving with Mr. Biden was “one of the greatest honours of my career”, and she recounted the moment he called to tell her he was stepping down.

“He told me what he had decided to do and… I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ and he said, ‘Yes’, and that’s how I learned about it.” The Vice-President said she didn’t need to ask Mr. Biden for his support because “he was very clear that he was going to endorse me”. Ms. Harris has also defended the administration’s record on the southern border and immigration, one of the administration’s most persistent and vexing problems. She notes that she was tasked with trying to address the “root causes” in other countries that were driving the border crossings, though Republicans have tagged her as the “border czar”. “We have laws that have to be followed and enforced, that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequences,” Ms. Harris said.

Although Ms. Harris has appeared more forceful in speaking about the plight of civilians in Gaza, as Israel’s war against Hamas there nears the 11th month mark, the Vice-President has also endorsed Mr. Biden’s efforts to arm Israel and bring about a hostage deal and ceasefire.

Israel said early on Sunday (September 1, 2024) that it had recovered the bodies of six hostages captured during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that ignited the Gaza war, including Israeli—American Hersh Goldberg—Polin. The revelation prompted tens of thousands of Israelis to demonstrate in the streets demanding a ceasefire deal.

Ms. Harris will join Mr. Biden on Monday (September 2, 2024) in the Situation Room to meet with the U.S. hostage deal negotiating team to discuss their continuing efforts on a deal that would secure the release of the remaining hostages.

Vice-President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden are co-headlining a campaign event on Monday (September 2, 2024) in the marquee battleground state of Pennsylvania as Ms. Harris balances presenting herself as “a new way forward” while remaining intensely loyal to Mr. Biden and the policies he has pushed.

The pair will attend Pittsburgh’s Labour Day parade and offer some remarks, the first time the two have shared a speaking slot on the political stage together since the surprising election shakeup that provided a fresh jolt of Democratic enthusiasm to the 2024 election.

Harris’ campaign has said Pennsylvania voters are newly energised since Ms. Harris moved to the top of the ticket six weeks ago, with tens of thousands of new volunteers signed up to canvass for her and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. Ms. Harris’ and Mr. Biden’s appearance at the parade, one of the largest such gatherings in the country, is part of a battleground state blitz with just over two months until Election Day.

Ms. Harris, 59, has sought to appeal to voters by positioning herself as a break from poisonous politics, rejecting the acerbic rhetoric of her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, while looking to move beyond the Mr. Biden era as well. Yet while her delivery may be very different from Mr. Biden’s, Ms. Harris’ agenda is chock-full of the same issues he has championed: capping the cost of prescription drugs, the Affordable Care Act, the economy and helping families afford child care.

“We fight for a future where we build what I call an opportunity economy, so that every American has the opportunity to own a home, start a business and to build wealth and intergenerational wealth. And a future where we lower the cost of living for America,” she said at a recent rally, echoing Mr. Biden’s calls to grow the economy “from the bottom out and the middle up”. Ms. Harris briefly appeared on stage with Mr. Biden after the President delivered his remarks on the opening night of last month’s Democratic National Convention, but the two haven’t shared a microphone at a political event since Mr. Biden himself was running for office. At that time, the campaign was using Ms. Harris mostly as its chief spokeswoman for abortion rights, an issue they believe can help them win in November as restrictions grow and health care worsens for women following the fall of Roe v. Wade.

The pair have appeared at official events and met together at the White House since the ticket—swap.

For more than 3 1/2 years, Ms. Harris has been one of Mr. Biden’s chief validators. Now the tables are turned, as Ms. Harris looks to lean on Mr. Biden — a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania — to help win the potentially decisive state. Mr. Biden, for his part, has laid low since ending his re-election bid. He was last at the White House on Aug. 19 and has since been vacationing in Southern California and Delaware.

But even as she’s taken on the mantle of leading the Democratic Party, Ms. Harris has stood steadfastly at Mr. Biden’s side. In her first sit-down interview of her candidacy, Ms. Harris delivered an impassioned defence of Mr. Biden’s record and ability to do the job, even despite the events of the past two months that ended with her running for the Oval Office and Mr. Biden a lame duck.

The 81-year-old President stepped aside in July following a disastrous debate performance with Trump and a growing chorus within his own party for him to make room for a new generation. Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump will debate on Sept. 10.

“He cares so deeply about the American people. He is so smart and — and loyal to the American people. And I have spent hours upon hours with him, be it in the Oval Office or the Situation Room. He has the intelligence, the commitment, and the judgment and disposition that I think the American people rightly deserve in their president,” she said in last week’s interview.

She added of Mr. Trump: “By contrast, the former president has none of that.” Ms. Harris said during the CNN interview that serving with Mr. Biden was “one of the greatest honours of my career”, and she recounted the moment he called to tell her he was stepping down.

“He told me what he had decided to do and… I asked him, ‘Are you sure?’ and he said, ‘Yes’, and that’s how I learned about it.” The Vice-President said she didn’t need to ask Mr. Biden for his support because “he was very clear that he was going to endorse me”. Ms. Harris has also defended the administration’s record on the southern border and immigration, one of the administration’s most persistent and vexing problems. She notes that she was tasked with trying to address the “root causes” in other countries that were driving the border crossings, though Republicans have tagged her as the “border czar”. “We have laws that have to be followed and enforced, that address and deal with people who cross our border illegally, and there should be consequences,” Ms. Harris said.

Although Ms. Harris has appeared more forceful in speaking about the plight of civilians in Gaza, as Israel’s war against Hamas there nears the 11th month mark, the Vice-President has also endorsed Mr. Biden’s efforts to arm Israel and bring about a hostage deal and ceasefire.

Israel said early on Sunday (September 1, 2024) that it had recovered the bodies of six hostages captured during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that ignited the Gaza war, including Israeli—American Hersh Goldberg—Polin. The revelation prompted tens of thousands of Israelis to demonstrate in the streets demanding a ceasefire deal.

Ms. Harris will join Mr. Biden on Monday (September 2, 2024) in the Situation Room to meet with the U.S. hostage deal negotiating team to discuss their continuing efforts on a deal that would secure the release of the remaining hostages.

Washington:

US President Joe Biden said he was “devastated and outraged” over the recovery of six bodies of hostages, including that of an Israeli-American from the Gaza Strip.

Terming the development as “tragic” and “reprehensible” Biden on August 31 unequivocally warned that “Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes” while vowing to keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of remaining hostages held by the Palestine group.

The US President said Israeli forces had on Saturday recovered six bodies of hostages held by Hamas in a tunnel under the city of Rafah.

“We have now confirmed that one of the hostages killed by these vicious Hamas terrorists was an American citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) Spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, was cited by Times of Israel as saying that the six hostages recovered from southern Gaza’s Rafah were “brutally murdered” by Hamas shortly before IDF troops arrived.

Talking to reporters after leaving a church in Delaware, Biden said, “It’s time this war ended.” “We should end this war.”

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement that Hamas “must be eliminated” and cannot be allowed to control Gaza.

Harris extended her condolences to 23-year-old American citizen Goldberg-Polin’s parents Jon and Rachel, and declared, “I have no higher priority than the safety of American citizens, wherever they are in the world. President Biden and I will never waver in our commitment to free the Americans and all those held hostage in Gaza.”

“Hamas is an evil terrorist organisation. With these murders, Hamas has even more American blood on its hands. I strongly condemn Hamas’ continued brutality, and so must the entire world. From its massacre of 1,200 people to sexual violence, taking of hostages, and these murders, Hamas’ depravity is evident and horrifying,” she said in a White House statement.

Goldberg Polin was held hostage while he was trying to escape terrorists who infiltrated the Nova music festival and lost his hand in a grenade blast in the October 7 attacks.

Israel President Isaac Herzog said in a statement that the “heart of an entire nation is crushed into pieces”. He said the killing of the hostages “proves Hamas’s readiness to carry out crimes against humanity.” He added the country’s “sacred goal” was to bring them home.

Following Hamas attacks on October 7, Israel launched a war against the Palestinian group, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities as per reports.

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

Chicago:

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump set out Friday on the final 10-week sprint to election day, with the Democrat surging after an electrifying speech accepting the Democratic Party nomination.

Less than three weeks before the presidential debate between the US vice president and the Republican ex-president — and only a month before early in-person voting begins – polls show the race for the White House is neck and neck.

The former senator and prosecutor leaves Chicago with the wind in her sails, having outraised Trump and erased the polling leads he was enjoying before she replaced President Joe Biden atop the Democratic ticket last month.

But Dan Kanninen, battleground director of the Harris campaign, cautioned at a Bloomberg event on the sidelines of the convention that the race “is not fundamentally changed” and still “very, very tight.”

“We have tremendous enthusiasm — I think momentum is on our side — but we now need to do something with it and engage the electorate effectively this fall,” he said.

Harris accepted her party’s presidential nomination on a glitzy final night in Chicago, buoyed by a galaxy of stars, that set the stage for the gruelling run-in to November 5.

Razor thin margins

The 59-year-old Californian has edged ahead by razor-thin margins in polling, reversing what had started to look like a likely Trump victory against Biden before he dramatically pulled out and endorsed Harris.

In just a month, Harris has raised a record-breaking half a billion dollars, enjoying a political honeymoon that shows little sign of ending.

Party leaders have cautioned that headwinds could still buffet the campaign, however.

These include internal protests over US policy on the Israel-Hamas war and possible shifts in polling with the expected withdrawal on Friday of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who may endorse Trump.

The controversial scion of America’s revered Kennedy clan is planning an announcement in Arizona, while Trump is also campaigning in the state, and promising to showcase a “special guest.”

Analysts are mixed on the effect a Kennedy exit would have.

He is polling in the low single digits and his embrace of conspiracy theories has made him a fringe figure.

However, in a very tight race, it is possible that even a few thousand votes in a crucial swing state could ultimately determine who takes the White House.

Democratic heavy hitters, from Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton to vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, have warned that the party could still lose to Trump’s Republicans if complacency creeps in.

“If we see a bad poll — and we will — we’ve got to put down that phone and do something,” the former first lady told the party faithful in Chicago.

Walz, a former school football coach, used a sporting analogy, saying that Democrats were “down a field goal, but we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball.”

Reaching for the centre

Trump has largely been singing to the choir, mobilizing his right-wing base with apocalyptic warnings about migrant criminals and painting a dark picture of a country in “decline” that only he can save.

Harris and her Democrats have been reaching toward the centre.

Party strategists spent the week in Chicago showcasing a parade of anti-Trump Republicans, including ex-cabinet officials, a small-town mayor and a former statewide officeholder.

“If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you’re not a Democrat, you’re a patriot,” former Georgia lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan said.

While they previously characterised Trump as a demagogue, Democrats have instead begun making fun of the Republican nominee in a manner designed to belittle him and dent his aura of invincibility.

Harris called him an “unserious” person.

Harris, who has no events announced for the weekend, heads back to Washington with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on Friday to begin sketching out a battle plan for the next 70-plus days.

“I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations,” Harris said in her keynote speech, earning uproarious applause.

“A president who leads and listens, who is realistic, practical and has common sense and always fights for the American people.”

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

Washington:

US President Joe Biden returns to the campaign trail Friday, pushing ahead with his reelection bid after a mixed performance at a major news conference failed to silence calls for him to quit.

The 81-year-old will give a speech bashing rival Donald Trump in Detroit in the rust-belt state of Michigan, a crucial battleground state that the Democrat must win in November’s election.

A defiant Biden insisted in a pivotal appearance at a NATO summit on Thursday that he would run again, and win — despite concerns about his age and health following a disastrous debate performance two weeks ago.

But a series of gaffes, including referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump,” kept Biden’s fitness for a second term under the microscope.

The top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, said he had met with Biden late Thursday, as the number of members calling on the president to step aside rose to 20.

Jeffries said he and Biden “expressed the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives, and conclusions about the path forward” but did not give further details.

The president has faced a steady drumbeat of Democrats calling for him to abandon his 2024 candidacy since the June 27 debate, during which Biden often lost his train of thought and appeared tired.

But Biden has obstinately dug in and insists that he can convince voters to back him despite most polls showing him trailing the criminally convicted, twice-impeached Trump.

“Most Qualified”

The campaign event in Detroit is his fourth trip this year to the state, part of the industrial “blue wall” along with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that were key to his 2020 win against his rival.

Biden’s speech is expected to focus on “Project 2025”, a blueprint by hardline conservatives for the first days of a Trump term that Democrats have pinned on the former president, despite the 78-year-old’s denials.

The press conference on Thursday appeared to buy Biden some time even if it was far from a knockout blow, with three more lawmakers urging him to quit just minutes after it finished.

Biden said he was the “most qualified person to run for president,” rejecting calls for him to step aside before the November 5 vote.

He acknowledged he had to “allay fears” in the Democratic party and should “pace myself a little more” after blaming jet lag and cold for his stumbling debate performance.

Biden also fielded a series of foreign and domestic policy questions with detailed if meandering answers and relatively few slip-ups, though he did mix up Europe and Asia.

But there were damaging moments on Thursday, with the Trump-Harris mixup and an earlier gaffe at the NATO summit in which he introduced Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

The concerns over Biden are also affecting Democratic donors, with Hollywood star and high-profile supporter George Clooney calling on Biden to step aside on Wednesday.

A number of other key donors have told the largest Biden campaign fund that around $90 million in pledged donations is on hold if he carries on running, the New York Times reported on Friday.

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

Washington:

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a historic donation of air-defence equipment for Ukraine and said Russia is failing in this war.

Welcoming leaders of NATO member countries for the historic summit on the occasion of its 75th anniversary, Biden said the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Italy will provide Ukraine with the equipment for five additional strategic air-defence systems.

In the coming months, the US and its partners intend to provide Ukraine with dozens of additional tactical air-defence systems, he said, adding that the US will make sure that when “we export critical air-defence interceptors, Ukraine goes to the front of the line”.

“They will get this assistance before anyone else gets it. All told, Ukraine will receive hundreds of additional interceptors over the next year, helping protect Ukrainian cities against Russian missile and Ukrainian troops facing air attacks on their front lines,” Biden said.

“Make no mistake, Russia is failing in this war.  More than two years into (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war of choice, his losses are staggering. More than 350,000 Russian troops dead or wounded, nearly one million (10 lakh) Russians, many of them young people, have left Russia because they no longer see a future in Russia,” he said.

“Kiev, remember fellas and ladies, was supposed to fall in five days? Remember? Well, it is still standing two and a half years later and will continue to stand. All of the allies knew that before this war, Putin thought NATO would break. Today, NATO is stronger than it has ever been in its history. When this senseless war began, Ukraine was a free country. Today, it is still a free country,” the US president said.

Reiterating that Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues, he said the Russian president wants nothing less than Ukraine’s total subjugation to end that country’s democracy, to destroy its culture and to wipe it off the map.

“We know Putin will not stop at Ukraine, but make no mistake, Ukraine can and will stop Putin,” Biden said.

He said the war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country. “Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will prevail. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a pivotal moment for Europe, for the transatlantic community and I might add, for the world. Let us remember, the fact that NATO remains the bulwark of global security did not happen by accident,” he said.

“NATO is stronger, smarter and more energised than when you began. And a billion people across Europe or North America, indeed the whole world, will reap the rewards of your labour for years to come in the form of security, opportunity and greater freedom,” the president said.

In his remarks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there are no cost-free options with an aggressive Russia as a neighbour.

“There are no risk-free options in a war. And remember — the biggest cost and the greatest risk will be if Russia wins in Ukraine. We cannot let that happen. Not only would it embolden President Putin, it would also embolden other authoritarian leaders in Iran, North Korea and China,” he said.

He acknowledged that NATO’s enduring success has never been a given, but is rather “the result of deliberate choices and difficult decisions” — from the alliance’s creation to arms control negotiations, and from NATO’s enlargement at the end of the Cold War to its support to Ukraine today.

“The time to stand for freedom and democracy is now, the place is Ukraine,” he said.

Stoltenberg concluded by saying that the alliance will continue to face difficult questions in the future, but that “we are stronger and safer together in NATO”.

Biden presented Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honour, in recognition of his decade of service at the helm of the alliance.

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