In his farewell speech on American television, President Biden warned of “a dangerous concentration of power” among a few excessively wealthy individuals. Though he did not mention names, it was apparent he was referring to billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who have recently strengthened ties with Biden’s successor, Donald Trump.
Speaking for nearly 20 minutes from the White House, the Democrat, set to hand over the presidency to Trump on Monday, stated, “An oligarchy of extreme wealth is forming in America, threatening our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and fair opportunity for all to advance.” Citing his predecessor Dwight Eisenhower’s 1961 farewell speech warning of the “military-industrial complex,” Biden targeted the “tech-industrial complex.” He criticized, for example, Meta’s decision under Zuckerberg to cease working with fact-checkers in the United States, warning Americans could be “buried in misinformation” on social media. The 82-year-old president wished Trump success in the White House but also suggested amending the U.S. Constitution to prevent presidents or former presidents from gaining immunity for their actions.
This comment was aimed at a Supreme Court ruling last summer regarding Trump’s attempts four years ago to have his election loss overturned, which judged the president enjoys partial immunity. Biden expressed pride in his achievements over the past four years, claiming he successfully led the U.S. out of the COVID-19 pandemic and invested billions in infrastructure improvements.
However, according to a recent CNN poll, most Americans view his presidency less favorably, with 61 percent considering it a failure and 38 percent seeing it as a success.
Source: NOS