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President Biden’s Full Inauguration Speech, Annotated

President Biden used his Inaugural Address to urge Americans to come together to take on the challenges ahead.

‘Democracy Has Prevailed’: Biden Calls for National Unity

President joseph. r biden jr. emphasized the importance of unity in his first speech as president of the united states..

Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause — the cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. [applause] So now on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago, violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. As we look ahead in our uniquely American way — restless, bold, optimistic — and set our sights on a nation we know we can be, and we must be. To restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: unity. With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward work and rebuild the middle class, and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice, and we can make America, once again, the leading force for good in the world.

By Glenn Thrush

President Biden delivered this address on Wednesday after taking the oath of office. These are his remarks as prepared for delivery.

Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans. This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day.

Glenn Thrush, WASHINGTON Correspondent:

From his opening words, President Biden made clear this would be a sober summons to service largely stripped of the rhetorical filigree often associated with inaugural addresses. He recognized the profound damage inflicted by the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and defined his assumption of power as “democracy’s day” — to contrast his approach with President Donald J. Trump’s view of the office as an extension of his personal power.

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Full transcript: President Joe Biden delivers speech to joint session of Congress

The president spoke to a limited crowd due to the pandemic.

President Joe Biden delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, just one day prior to 100 days in office.

The setting was very different from a typical address, though. Due to the pandemic, tickets were limited and social distancing rules were in place.

But the message from Biden was one of progress and a return to normalcy from more than a year under limitations.

The transcript of Biden's speech was as follows:

It's good to be back. As Mitch [McConnell] and Chuck [Schumer] will understand, it is good to be almost home, down the hall.

Anyway, thank you all. Madam speaker, madam vice president. No president has ever said those words from this podium. No president has ever said those words, and it's about time.

The first lady. I'm her husband. Second gentleman, chief justice, members of the United States Congress and the Cabinet, distinguished guests, my fellow Americans: while the setting tonight is familiar, this gathering is just a little bit different, a reminder of the extraordinary times we're in.

Throughout our history, presidents have come to this chamber to speak to Congress, to the nation, and to the world to declare war, to celebrate peace, to announce new plans and possibilities. Tonight, I come to talk about crisis and opportunity. About rebuilding a nation, revitalizing our democracy and winning the future for America.

I stand here tonight one day shy of the 100th day of my administration. One hundred days since I took the oath of office and lifted my hand off our family Bible and inherited a nation, we all did, that was in crisis. The worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.

Now, after just 100 days, I can report to the nation America is on the move again.

Turning peril into possibility, crisis to opportunity, setbacks into strength. We all know life can knock us down, but in America, we never, ever, ever stay down. Americans always get up. Today, that's what we're doing. America is rising anew, choosing hope over fear, truth over lies, and light over darkness.

After 100 days of rescue and renewal, America is ready for a take-off, in my view. We're working again, dreaming again, discovering again, and leading the world again. We have shown each other and the world that there is no quit in America, none. 100 days ago, America's House was on fire. We had to act. And thanks to the extraordinary leadership of Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi, Majority Leader Schumer, and the overwhelming support of the American people, Democrats, independents and Republicans, we did act.

Together, we passed the American Rescue Plan, one of the most consequential rescue packages in American history. We're already seeing the results.

MORE: In 1st, two women will sit behind a president for a speech to Congress

We're already seeing the results. After I promised we'd get 100 million COVID-19 vaccine shots into people's arms in 100 days, we will have provided over 220 million COVID shots in those 100 days. Thanks to all the help of all of you. We're marshaling, with your help, everyone's help, we're marshaling every federal resource.

We have gotten vaccines to nearly 40,000 pharmacies and over 700 community health centers where the poorest of the poor can be reached. We're setting up community vaccination sites, developing mobile units to get to hard-to-reach communities. Today, 90% of Americans now live within five miles of a vaccination site. Everyone over the age of 16, everyone, is now eligible to get vaccinated right now, right away. [applause]

Go get vaccinated, America. Go and get the vaccination. They're available. You're eligible now. When I was sworn in on Jan. 20, less than 1% of the seniors in America were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. One hundred days later, 70% of seniors in America over 65 are protected, fully protected. Senior deaths from COVID-19 are down 80% since January, down 80% because of all of you.

And more than half of all the adults in America have gotten at least one shot. A mass vaccination center in Glendale, Arizona, I asked the nurse, I said, "What's it like?" She looked at me, and she said, "It's like every shot is giving a dose of hope." That was her phrase, "a dose of hope."

A dose of hope for an educator in Florida who has a child suffering from an autoimmune disease wrote to me, said she's worried -- that she was worried about bringing the virus home. She said she then got vaccinated at a -- at a large site in her car. She said she sat in her car when she got vaccinated and just cried, cried out of joy and cried out of relief.

Parents seeing the smiles on their kids faces for those who are able to go back to school because the teachers and school bus drivers and cafeteria workers have been vaccinated.

Grandparents hugging their children and grandchildren instead of pressing hands against the window to say good-bye. It means everything. Those things mean everything. You know, they're still -- you all know it, you know it better than any group of Americans. There is still more work to do to beat this virus. We can't let our guard down.

But tonight, I can say because of you -- the American people -- our progress these past 100 days against one of the worst pandemics in history has been one of the greatest logistical achievements -- logistical achievements this country has ever seen. What else have we done those first 100 days?

We kept our commitment, Democrats and Republicans, of sending $1,400 rescue checks to 85% of American households. We've already sent more than 160 million checks out the door. It's making a difference. You all know it, when you go home. For many people, it's making all the difference in the world.

A single mom in Texas who wrote me, she said she couldn't work. But she said the relief check put food on the table and saved her and her son from eviction from their apartment. A grandmother in Virginia who told me she immediately took her granddaughter to the eye doctor -- something she said she put off for months because she didn't have the money. One of the defining images, at least from my perspective in this this crisis has been cars lined up -- cars lined up for miles.

MORE: Biden’s First 100 Days Show How Partisan Things Have Become: FiveThirtyEight

And not -- not people who just barely ever start those cars. Nice cars. Lined up for miles. Waiting for a box of food to be put in their trunk. I don't know about you, but I didn't ever think I'd see that in America?

That's why the rescue plan is delivering food and nutrition assistance to millions of Americans facing hunger -- and hunger is down sharply already. We're also providing rental assistance, you all know this but the American people, I want to make sure they understand -- keeping people from being evicted from their homes, providing loans to small businesses to reopen and keep their employees on the job.

During these 100 days, an additional 800,000 Americans enrolled in the Affordable Care Act when I established a special sign-up period to do that -- 800,000 in that period. We're making one of the largest one-time ever investments, ever, in improving health care for veterans. Critical investments to address the opioid crisis. And maybe most importantly, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we're on track to put child poverty in America in half this year.

And in the process, while this is all going on, the economy created more than 1,300,000 new jobs in 100 days. More jobs than the first 100 days than any president on record.

The International Monetary Fund is now estimating our economy will grow at a rate of more than 6% this year. That will be the fastest pace of economic growth in this country in nearly four decades.

America is moving, moving forward. But we can't stop now. We're in competition with China and other countries to win the 21st century. We're at a great inflection point in history. We have to do more than just build back better -- to build back -- we have to build back better, we have to compete more strenuously than we have.

Throughout our history, if you think about it, public investment in infrastructure has literally transformed America. Our attitudes as well as our opportunities. The transcontinental railroad, the interstate highways, united two oceans and brought a totally new age of progress to the United States of America.

Universal public schools and college aid opened wide the doors of opportunity. Scientific breakthroughs took us to the moon. Now we're on Mars, discovering vaccines, gave us the internet and so much more.

These are investments we made together, as one country, and investments that only the government was in a position to make. Time and again, they propel us into the future. That's why I propose the American Jobs Plan, a once-in-a-generation investment in America itself. This is the largest jobs plan since World War II. It creates jobs to upgrade our transportation infrastructure, jobs modernizing our roads, bridges, highways.

Jobs building ports and airports, rail corridors, transit lines. It's clean water. And today, up to 10 million homes in America and more than 400,000 schools and child care centers have pipes with lead in them, including drinking water -- a clear and present danger to our children's health. The American Jobs Plan creates jobs replacing 100% of the nation's lead pipes and service lines so every American can drink clean water.

In the process, we'll create thousands and thousands of good paying jobs. It creates jobs connecting every American with high-speed internet, including 35% of the rural America that still doesn't have it. This is going to help our kids and our businesses succeed in the 21st-century economy. And I'm asking the vice president to lead this effort, if she would, because I know it will get done.

It creates jobs building a modern power grid. Our grids are vulnerable to storms, hacks, catastrophic failures with tragic results, as we saw in Texas and elsewhere during the winter storms. The American Jobs Plan will create jobs that will lay thousands of miles of transmission lines needed to build a resilient and fully clean grid. We can do that.

Look, the American Jobs Plan will help millions of people get back to their jobs and back to their careers. Two million women have dropped out of the workforce during this pandemic -- 2 million. And too often because they couldn't get the care they needed to care for their child or care for an elderly parent who needs help.

Eight-hundred thousand families are on the Medicare waiting list right now to get home care for their aging parent or loved one with disability. If you think it's not important, check out in your own district, Democrat or Republican. Democrat or Republican voters, their great concern -- almost as much as their children, is taking care of an elderly loved one who can't be left alone.

Medicaid contemplated it, but this plan is going to help those families and create jobs for our caregivers with better wages and better benefits, continuing a cycle of growth.

For too long, we failed to use the most important word when it comes to meeting the climate crisis: jobs, jobs, jobs.

For me, when I think climate change, I think jobs. The American Jobs Plan will put engineers and construction workers to work building more energy efficient buildings and homes. Electrical workers, IBEW members installing 500,000 charges stations along our highways so we can own the electric car market. Farmers planting cover crops so they can reduce the carbon dioxide in the air and get paid for doing it.

Look, think about it. There is simply no reason why the blades for wind turbines can't be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing. No reason, none. No reason. So, folks, there is no reason why American workers can't lead the world in the production of electric vehicles and batteries. I mean, there is no reason. We have this capacity. We have the brightest, best trained people in the world.

The American Jobs Plan is going to create millions of good paying jobs, jobs Americans can raise a family on -- as my dad would then say -- "with a little breathing room." And all the investments in the American Job Plan will be guided by one principle: Buy American. Buy American. And I might note parenthetically, that does not violate any trade agreement. It's been the law since the '30s: Buy American. American tax dollars are going to be used to buy American products made in America to create American jobs. That's the way it is supposed to be, and it will be in this administration.

And I made it clear to all my cabinet people. Their ability to give exemptions has been strenuously limited. It will be American products. Now, I know some of you at home are wondering whether these jobs are for you. So many of you, so many of the folks I grew up with feel left behind, forgotten in an economy that's so rapidly changing it's frightening.

I want to speak directly to you, because you think about it. That's what people are most worried about: Can I fit in? Independent experts estimate the American Jobs Plan will add millions of jobs and trillions of dollars to economic growth in the years to come. It is a -- it is an eight-year program. These are good-paying jobs that can't be outsourced. Nearly 90% of the infrastructure jobs created in the American Jobs Plan do not require a college degree. Seventy-five percent don't require an associate's degree.

The American Jobs Plan is a blue collar blueprint to build America. That's what it is. And it recognizes something I’ve always said, in this chamber and the other. Good guys and women on Wall Street, but Wall Street didn't build this country. The middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class.

So that's why I'm calling on Congress to pass Protect the Right to Organize Act, the PRO Act and send it to my desk so we can support the right to unionize.

And by the way, while you’re thinking about sending things to my desk, let's raise the minimum wage to $15. No one -- no one working 40 hours a week, no one working 40 hours a week should live below the poverty line.

We need to ensure greater equity and opportunity for women. And while we're doing this, let's get the Paycheck Fairness Act to my desk as well. Equal pay. It's been much too long.

And if you wonder whether it’s too long, look behind you.

And finally, the American Jobs Plan will be the biggest increase in non-defense research and development on record. We'll see more technological change, and some of you know more about this than I do. We'll see more technological change in the next 10 years than we saw in the last 50. That's how rapidly artificial intelligence and so much more is changing.

And we're falling behind the competition with the rest of the world. Decades ago, we used to invest 2% of our gross domestic product in America, 2% of our gross domestic product in research and development. Today, Mr. Secretary, that's less than 1%. China and other countries are closing in fast. We have to develop and dominate the products and technologies of the future, the advanced batteries, biotechnology, computer chips, clean energy.

The secretary of defense can tell you, and those of you who work on national security issues know, the defense department has an agency called DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency. The people who set up before I came here, and that's been a long time ago, to develop break-throughs that enhance our national security. That's their only job.

And it’s a semi-separate agency. It’s under the Defense Department. It's led to everything from the discovery of the internet to GPS and so much more. It's enhanced our security. The National Institutes of Health, the NIH, I believe, should create a similar advanced research project agency for health.

And here’s what it would do. It would have a singular purpose: to develop breakthroughs to prevent, detect and treat diseases like Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer. I’ll still never forget when we passed the cancer proposal in the last year I was vice president, almost $9 million going to NIH.

And if you excuse the point of personal privilege, I’ll never forget you standing, Mitch, and saying, name it after my deceased son. It meant a lot. But so many of us have deceased sons, daughters, and relatives who died of cancer. I can think of no more worthy investment.

I know of nothing that is more bipartisan, so let's end cancer as we know it. It is within our power. It's within our power to do it.

Investments in jobs and infrastructure like the ones we’re talking about have often had bipartisan support in the past. Vice President Harris and I met regularly in the Oval Office with Democrats and Republicans to discuss the jobs plan. And I applaud a group of Republican senators who just put forward their own proposal. So let's get to work. I wanted to lay out before the Congress my plan before we got into the deep discussions.

I like to meet with those who have ideas that are different, that they think are better. I welcome those ideas. But the rest of the world is not waiting for us. I just want to be clear, from my perspective, doing nothing is not an option.

Look, we can't be so busy competing with one another that we forget the competition that we have with the rest of the world to win the 21st century. As Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken can tell you, I spent a lot of time with [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping], traveled over 17,000 miles with him, spent over 24 hours in private discussions with him. When he called to congratulate me, we had a two-hour discussion.

He's deadly earnest about becoming the most significant, consequential nation in the world. He and others, autocrats, think that democracy can't compete in the 21st century with autocracies because it takes too long to get consensus. To win that competition for the future, in my view, we also need to make a once-in-a-generation investment in our families and our children.

That's why I’ve introduced the American Families Plan tonight, which addresses four of the biggest challenges facing American families and, in turn, America. First is access to good education. When this nation made 12 years of public education universal in the last century, it made us the best educated, best prepared nation in the world. It's, I believe, the overwhelming reason that propelled us to where we got in the 20th century. But the world has caught up or catching up. They're not waiting.

I would say parenthetically, if we were sitting down, we put a bipartisan committee together said, okay, we're going to decide what we do in terms of government providing for free education. I wonder whether we'd think, as we did in the 20th century, that 12 years is enough in the 21st century. I doubt it. Twelve years is no longer enough today to compete with the rest of the world in the 21st century.

That’s why the American Families Plan guarantees four additional years of public education for every person in America -- starting as early as we can.

We add two years of universal high-quality preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old, no matter what background they come from, puts them in a position to be able to compete all the way through 12 years and increases exponentially their prospect of graduating and going on beyond graduation.

Research shows when a young child goes to school, not day care, they're far more likely to graduate from high school and go to college, or something after high school. When you add two years of free community college on top of that, you begin to change the dynamic. We can do that.

And we’ll increase Pell grants and invest in historical Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, minority-serving institutions. The reason is they don't have the endowments, but their students are just as capable of learning about cyber security, just as capable of learning about metallurgy, all the things that are going on that provide those jobs of the future. Jill is a community college professor who teaches today, as first lady.

She's long said -- if I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times: “Joe, any country that out educates us is going to outcompete us.” She will be deeply involved in leading this effort. Thank you, Jill. Second thing we need, American Families Plan will provide access to quality, affordable child care.

What I'm proposing in the legislation -- we guarantee that low and middle income families will pay no more than 7% of their income for high quality care for children up to the age of 5. The most hard-pressed working families won't have to spend a dime. Third, the American Families Plan will finally provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave and medical leave, family medical leave.

No one should have to choose between a job and a paycheck or taking care of themselves and their loved ones or parent or spouse or child. And, fourth, the American Family Plan puts directly into the pockets of millions of Americans. In March, we expanded the tax credit for every child in a family, up to $3,000 per child if they're over 6 years of age.

And $3,600 for children over 6 years of age. With two parents, two kids, that's $7,200 in the pockets that are going to help take care of your family. And that will help more than 65 million children and help cut child care poverty in half.

And we can afford it. So we did that in the -- in the last piece of legislation we passed. But let's extend that child care tax credit at least through the end of 2025. The American Rescue Plan lowered health care premiums for 9 million Americans who buy their coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

I know that’s really popular on this side of the aisle. [laughter] But, let's make that provision permanent so their premiums don't go back up.

In addition to my families plan, I’m going to work with Congress to address this year other critical priorities for American families. The Affordable Care Act has been a lifeline for millions of Americans protecting people with preexisting conditions, protecting women's health. And the pandemic has demonstrated how badly, how badly it's needed. Let's lower deductibles for working families on the Affordable -- in the Affordable Care Act. And let's lower prescription drug costs.

We know how to do this. The last president had that as an objective. We all know how outrageously expensive drugs are in America. In fact, we pay the highest prescription drug prices of anywhere in the world, right here in America. Nearly three times for the same drug, nearly three times what other countries pay.

We have to change that. And we can. Let's do what we talked about for all the years I was down here in this body, in Congress. Let's give Medicare the power to save hundreds of billions of dollars by negotiating lower drug prescription prices.

And by the way, it won’t just -- it won’t just help people on Medicare. It’ll lower prescription drug costs for everyone. And the money we save, which is billions of dollars, can go to strengthening the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicare benefits without costing taxpayers an additional penny. It is within our power to do it. Let's do it now.

We’ve talked about it long enough, Democrats and Republicans. Let's get it done this year. This is all about a simple premise: Health care should be a right, not a privilege in America.

So, how do we pay for my jobs and family plan? I made it clear, we can do without increasing the deficit. Let's start with what I will not do. I will not impose any tax increase on people making less than $400,000. But it is time for corporate America and the wealthiest 1% of Americans to just begin to pay their fair share. Just their fair share.

Sometimes I have arguments with my friends in the Democratic party. I think you should be able to become a billionaire and a millionaire, but pay your fair share. A recent study shows that 55 of the nation's biggest corporations paid zero federal tax last year. Those 55 corporations made in excess of $40 billion in profit.

A lot of companies also evaded taxes through tax havens in Switzerland and Bermuda and the Cayman islands. And they benefit from tax loopholes and deductions, for offshoring jobs and shifting profits overseas. It's not right. We’re going to reform corporate taxes so they pay their fair share and help pay for the public investments their businesses will benefit from as well.

We're going to reward work, not just wealth. We take the top tax bracket for the wealthiest 1% of Americans, those making over $400,000 or more, back up to where it was when George W. Bush was president, when he started, 39.6%.

That's where it was when George W. was president. We're going to get rid of the loopholes allowing Americans to make more than a million dollars a year and pay a lower tax rate on their capital gains on Americans who receive a paycheck. We're only going to affect three-tenths of 1% of all Americans by that action. Three-tenths of 1%.

And the IRS is going to crack down on millionaires and billionaires who cheat on their taxes. It’s estimated to be billions of dollars by think tanks that are left, right, and center. I'm not looking to punish anybody. But I will not add a tax burden, additional tax burden to the middle class in this country. They're already paying enough.

I believe what I propose is fair. Fiscally responsible. And it raises revenue to pay for the plans I propose and it will create millions of jobs that will grow the economy and enhance our financial standing in the country. When you hear someone say they don't want to raise taxes on the wealthiest 1% or corporate America, ask them, whose taxes do you want to raise? Instead, whose are we going to cut?

Look, the big tax cut of 2017, you remember it was supposed to pay for itself. That was how it was sold. And generate vast economic growth. Instead, it added $2 trillion to the deficit. It was a huge windfall for corporate America and those at the very top.

Instead of using the tax saving to raise wages and invest in research and development, it poured billions of dollars into the pockets of CEOs. In fact, the pay gap between CEOs and their workers is now among the largest in history. According to one study, CEOs make 320 times what the average worker in their corporation makes, it used to be in the -- below 100. The pandemic has only made things worse. 20 million Americans lost their job in the pandemic, working and middle class Americans.

At the same time, roughly 650 billionaires in America saw their net worth increase by more than $1 trillion, in the same exact period. Let me say that again: 650 people increased their wealth by more than $1 trillion during this pandemic. And they're now worth more than $4 trillion.

My fellow Americans, trickle down -- trickle down economics has never worked, and it’s time to grow the economy from the bottom and the middle out.

You know, there is a broad consensus of economists left, right, and center, and they agree what I'm proposing will help create millions of jobs and generate historic economic growth. These are among the highest value investments we can make as a nation. I have often said, our greatest strength is the power of our example, not just the example of our power.

My conversations with world leaders, and I’ve spoken to over 38 -- 40 of them now. I have made it known. I have made it known that America is back. And you know what they say? The comment that I hear most of all from them? So they say, “We see America is back. But for how long? But for how long?”

My fellow Americans, we have to show not just that we're back, but that we're back to stay and that we aren't going to go alone.

We're going to do it by leading with our allies. No one nation can deal with all the crises of our time, from terrorism to nuclear proliferation, mass migration, cybersecurity, climate change as well as experiencing -- what we're experiencing now with pandemics.

There’s no wall high enough to keep any virus away. As our own vaccine supply grows to meet our needs -- and we are meeting them -- we will become an arsenal of vaccines for other countries -- just as America was the arsenal of democracy in World War II.

The climate crisis is not our fight alone, either. It’s a global fight. The United States accounts, as all of you know, for less than 15% of carbon emissions. The rest of the world accounts for 85%.

That’s why I kept my commitment to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement on my first day in office.

And I kept my commitment to convene a climate summit right here in America, with all of the major economies of the world -- from China and Russia to India and the European Union. And I said I would do it in my first 100 days. And I want to be very blunt about it.

My attempt was to make sure that the world could see there was a consensus, that we are at an inflection point in history. The consensus is if we act to save the planet, we can create millions of jobs and economic growth and opportunity to raise the standard of living of almost everyone around the world. If you watched any of it, and you were all busy, I’m sure you didn’t have much time, that's what virtually every nation said, even the ones that aren't doing their fair share.

The investments I propose tonight also advance the foreign policy, in my view, that benefits the middle class. That means making sure every nation plays by the same rules in the global economy, including China. My discussions -- in my discussions with President Xi, I told him, we welcome the competition. We're not looking for conflict.

But I made absolutely clear that we will defend America's interest across the board. America will stand up to unfair trade practices that undercut American workers and American industries like subsidies from state to state owned operations and enterprises and the theft of American technology and intellectual property.

I also told President Xi that we’ll maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific, just as we do with NATO and Europe. Not to start a conflict, but to prevent one.

I told him what I said to many world leaders, that America will not back away from our commitments, our commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to our alliances. And I pointed out to him, no responsible American President could remain silent when basic human rights are being so blatantly violated. An American President -- President has to represent the essence of what our country stands for.

America is an idea, the most unique idea in history: we are created, all of us, equal. It's who we are, and we cannot walk away from that principle. And, in fact, say “we're dealing with the American idea.”

With regard to Russia, I know it concerns some of you, but I made very clear to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that we're not going to seek escalation, but their actions will have consequence if they turn out to be true. And they turned out to be true, so I responded directly and proportionately to Russia's interference on our elections, and the cyberattacks on our government and our business.

They did both of these things, and I told them we would respond and we have. But we can also cooperate when it’s in our mutual interest. We did it when we extended the New START Treaty on nuclear arms, and we're working to do it on climate change. But he understands we will respond.

On Iran and North Korea, nuclear programs that present serious threats to American security and the security of the world, we're going to be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countries through diplomacy as well as stern deterrence. And American leadership means ending the forever war in Afghanistan.

We have, without hyperbole, the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. I’m the first president in 40 years who knows what it means to have a son serving in a war zone. Today, we have service members serving in the same war zone as their parents did. We have service members in Afghanistan who were not yet born on 9/11.

The war in Afghanistan, as we remember the debates here, were never meant to be multi-generational undertakings of nation building. We went to Afghanistan to get terrorists -- the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. And we said we would follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell to do it. If you’ve been in the upper Kunar Valley, you’ve kind of seen the gates of hell.

And we delivered justice to Bin Laden. We degraded the terrorist threat of al-Qaida and Afghanistan. And after 20 years of value, valor, and sacrifice, it’s time to bring those troops home.

Even as we do, we’ll maintain over the horizon capacity to suppress future threats to the homeland. And make no mistake, in 20 years, terrorism has metastasized. The threat has evolved way beyond Afghanistan. Those of you in the intelligence committees, the foreign relation community, defense communities, you know well. We have to remain vigilant against the threats to the United States wherever they come from. Al-Qaida and ISIS are in Yemen, Syria, Somalia, other places in Africa, in the Middle East and beyond.

And we won't ignore what our intelligence agency has determined to be the most lethal terrorist threat to the homeland today: white supremacy's terrorism.

We're not going to ignore that either. My fellow Americans, look, we have to come together to heal the soul of this nation. It was nearly a year ago, before her father's funeral, when I spoke with Gianna Floyd, George Floyd’s young daughter. She's a little tyke, so I was kneeling down to talk to her so I could look her in the eye. She looked at me, she said, “My daddy changed the world.”

Well, after the conviction of George Floyd's murderer, we can see how right she was if, if we have the courage to act as a Congress. We have all seen the knee of injustice on the neck of Black Americans. Now is our opportunity to make some real progress. The vast majority of men and women wearing the uniform and a badge serve our communities and they serve them honorably.

I know them. I know they want to help meet this moment as well. My fellow Americans, we have to come together to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve, to root out systemic racism in our criminal justice system and to enact police reform in George Floyd's name that passed the House already. I know Republicans have their own ideas, and are engaged in a very productive discussion with Democrats in the Senate. We need to work together to find a consensus, but let's get it done next month by the first anniversary of George Floyd's death.

The country supports this reform, and Congress should act -- should act. We have a giant opportunity to bend the ark of the moral universe towards justice, real justice. And with the plans outlined tonight, we have a real chance to root out systemic racism that plagues America and American lives in other ways.

A chance to deliver real equity, good jobs, good schools, affordable housing, clean air, clean water, being able to generate wealth and pass it down to generations because you have an access to purchase a house. Real opportunities in the lives of more Americans, Black, white, Latino, Asian Americans, Native Americans.

Look, I also want to thank the United States Senate for voting 94-1 to pass COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act to protect Asian-American and Pacific Islanders. You acted decisively.

You can see on television the viciousness of the hate crimes we have seen over the past year and for too long. I urge the House to do the same and send that legislation to my desk, which I will gladly, anxiously sign. I also hope Congress will get to my desk the Equality Act to protect LGBTQ Americans.

To all transgender Americans watching at home, especially the young people, who are so brave, I want you to know your president has your back. Another thing: let's authorize the Violence Against Women Act, which has been law for 27 years. Twenty-seven years ago, I wrote it.

It will close -- the act that has to be authorized now, it will close the boyfriend loophole to keep guns out of the hands of abusers. The court order said “this is an abuser,” you can't own a gun. It’s to close that loophole that existed. You know, it’s estimated that 50 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner every month in America, 50 a month.

Let's pass it, and save some lives. And I need -- I need not tell anyone this but gun violence has become an epidemic in America. The flag at the White House was still flying at half mast for the eight victims of the mass shooting in Georgia when 10 more lives were taken in a mass shooting in Colorado.

And in the week in between those two events, 250 other Americans were shot dead in the streets of America. 250. Shot dead. I know how hard it is to make progress on this issue. In the 90s, we passed universal background checks, a ban on assault rifles and high capacity magazines that hold a hundred rounds that can be fired off in seconds. We beat the NRA. Mass shootings and gun violence declined.

Check out the report over ten years. But in the early 2000s, the law expired. We've seen daily bloodshed since. I'm not saying if the law continued we wouldn't see bloodshed. More than two weeks ago in the Rose Garden, surrounded by some of the bravest people I know, the survivors and families who lost loved ones to gun violence, I laid out several of the Department of Justice actions that are being to taken to impact in this epidemic.

One of them is banning so-called ghost guns. These are homemade guns built from a kit that includes directions on how to finish the firearm. The parts have no serial numbers. So they show up at crime scenes and they can't be traced. The buyers of these ghost gun kits aren't required to pass any background check.

Anyone, from a criminal or terrorist, could buy this kit and within 30 minutes have a weapon that's lethal, but no more. And I'll do everything in my power to protect the American people from this epidemic of gun violence, but it is time for Congress to act as well.

I don't want to become confrontational but we need more Senate Republicans to join the overwhelming majority of Democratic colleagues, and close the loopholes required in background checks purchases of guns. We need a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines. And don't tell me it can't be done. We did it before, and it worked.

Talk to most responsible gun owners and hunters, they'll tell you there is no possible justification for having a hundred rounds in a weapon. What do you think, deer are wearing kevlar vests? [laughter] They'll tell you that there are too many people today who are able to buy a gun but shouldn't be able to buy a gun.

These kinds of reasonable reforms have overwhelming support from the American people, including many gun owners. The country supports reform and this -- and Congress should act. This shouldn't be a red or blue issue, and no Amendment to the Constitution is absolute. You can't yell “fire” in a crowded theater. From the very beginning there were certain guns, weapons that could not be owned by Americans.

Certain people could not own those weapons ever. We're not changing the Constitution. We're being reasonable. I think this is not a Democrat or Republican issue. I think it's an American issue. And here's what else we can do. Immigration has always been essential to America. Let's end our exhausting war over immigration.

For more than 30 years, politicians have talked about immigration reform, and we've done nothing about it. It's time to fix it. On day one of my presidency, I kept my commitment to send a comprehensive immigration bill to the United States Congress. If you believe we need to secure the border, pass it, because it has a lot of money for high tech border security. If you believe in a pathway to citizenship, pass it. There’s over 11 million undocumented folks, the vast majority are here overstaying visas, pass it.

We can actually -- if you actually want to solve the problem, I've sent a bill to take a close look at it. We also have to get at the root problem of why people are fleeing ,particularly to our southern border of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The violence, the corruption, the gangs, the political instability, hunger, hurricanes, earthquakes, natural disasters. When I was president, my president -- when I was vice president, the president asked me to focus on providing help needed to address the root causes of migration.

And it helped keep people in their own countries instead of being forced to leave. The plan was working, but the last administration decided it was not worth it. I'm restoring the program, and I asked Vice President [Kamala] Harris to lead our diplomatic effort to take care of this. I have absolute confidence she'll get the job done.

Now look, if you don't like my plan, let's at least pass what we all agree on. Congress needs to pass legislation this year to finally secure protection for Dreamers. The young people who have only known America as their home. And permanent protection for immigrants who are here on temporary protective status who came from countries beset by man-made and natural made violence and disaster.

As well as a pathway to citizenship for foregn workers who put food on our tables. Look, immigrants have done so much for America during this pandemic and throughout our history. The country supports immigration reform. We should act. Let's argue over it. Let's debate it, but let's act. And if we truly restore -- want to restore the soul of America, we need to protect the sacred right to vote.

More people voted in the last Presidential election than any time in American history, in the middle of the worst pandemic ever. It should be celebrated. Instead, it's being attacked. Congress should pass HR-1, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and send it to my desk right away.

The country supports it, and Congress should act now. [applause, cont.] Look, in conclusion, as we gather here tonight, the images of a violent mob assaulting this Capitol, desecrating our democracy remain vivid in all our minds. Lives were put at risk, many of your lives. Lives were lost.

Extraordinary courage was summoned. The insurrection was an existential crisis, a test of whether our democracy could survive, and it did. But the struggle is far from over. The question of whether our democracy will long endure is both ancient and urgent, as old as our Republic, still vital today.

Can our democracy deliver on its promise that all of us created equal in the image of god have a chance to lead lives of dignity, respect, and possibility? Can our democracy deliver to the most pressing needs of our people? Can our democracy overcome the lies, anger, hate, and fears that have pulled us apart? America's adversaries, the autocrats of the world, are betting we can't. And I promise you they're betting we can't.

They believe we’re too full of anger and division and rage. They look at the images of the mob that assaulted the Capitol as proof that the sun is setting on American democracy. But they're wrong. You know it. I know it. But we have to prove them wrong. We have to prove democracy still works, that our government still works, and we can deliver for our people.

MORE: Congress prepares for 'strange' and 'extraordinary' presidential address

In our first 100 days together, we've acted to restore people's faith in democracy to deliver. We're vaccinating the nation, we're creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, we're delivering real results to people. They can see it, feel it in their own lives, opening doors of opportunity, guaranteeing some more fairness and justice. That’s the essence of America. That's democracy in action. Our Constitution opens with the words, as trite as it sounds, “we the people.”

Well, it's time to remember that we, the people, are the government. You and I. Not some force in a distant capital. Not some powerful force that we have no control over. It's us! It's we the people. In another era when our democracy was tested, Franklin Roosevelt reminded us, in America, we do our part, we all do our part. That's all I'm asking. That we do our part, all of us. If we do that, we will meet the center challenge of the age by proving that democracy is durable and strong.

Autocrats will not win the future, we will. America will. And the future belongs to America. As I stand here tonight before you in a new and vital hour of life and democracy of our nation, and I can say with absolute confidence, I have never been more confident or optimistic about America, not because I'm President. Because of what's happening with the American people.

We've stared into the abyss of insurrection and autocracy, pandemic and pain. And We, the people, did not flinch. At the very moment our adversaries were certain we'd pull apart and fail, we came together. We united. With light and hope, we summoned a new strength, new resolve to position us to win the competition of the 21st century.

On our way to a union more perfect, more prosperous, and more just as one people, one nation, and one America. Folks, as I told every world leader I ever met with over the years, it's never ever, ever been a good bet to bet against America and it still isn't.

We're the United States of America.

There is not a single thing, nothing, nothing beyond our capacity. We can do whatever we set our minds to if we do it together. So let's begin to get together. God bless you all, and may god protect our troops. Thank you for your patience.

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WATCH: President Biden’s Address to the Nation | PBS NewsHour’s full evening coverage

WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring that U.S. leadership “holds the world together,” President Joe Biden told Americans on Thursday night the country must deepen its support of Ukraine and Israel in the middle of two vastly different, unpredictable and bloody wars.

Acknowledging that “these conflicts can seem far away,” Biden insisted in a rare Oval Office address that they remain “vital for America’s national security” as he prepared to ask Congress for billions of dollars in military assistance for both countries.

Watch the event in the player above.

“History has taught us when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction,” Biden said. “They keep going. And the cost and the threat to America and the world keep rising.”

Biden’s speech reflected an expansive view of U.S. obligations overseas at a time when he faces political resistance at home to additional funding. He’s expected to ask for $105 billion on Friday, including $60 billion for Ukraine, much of which would replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles provided earlier.

There’s also $14 billion for Israel, $10 billion for unspecified humanitarian efforts, $14 billion for managing the U.S.-Mexico border and fighting fentanyl trafficking and $7 billion for the Indo-Pacific region, which includes Taiwan. The proposal was described by three people familiar with the details who insisted on anonymity before the official announcement.

“It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations,” Biden said.

He hopes that combining all of these issues into one piece of legislation will create the necessary coalition for congressional approval. His speech came the day after his high-stakes trip to Israel, where he showed solidarity with the country after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and pushed for more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.

READ MORE: Despite setbacks, Biden reaches aid breakthrough on Israel trip

With Israel continuing to bombard the Gaza Strip and preparing a ground invasion, Biden placed an increased emphasis on the deadly toll that the conflict has had on civilians there, saying he’s “heartbroken by the tragic loss of Palestinian life.”

“Israel and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity and peace,” Biden said. He also warned about a rising tide of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the U.S., noting  the killing of Wadea Alfayoumi , a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy.

“To all you hurting, I want you to know I see you. You belong,” Biden said. “And I want to say this to you. You’re all Americans.”

The White House said that after his speech, the president and first lady Jill Biden spoke over the phone with Wadea’s father and uncle to express their “deepest condolences” and share their prayers for the recovery of the boy’s mother, who was also stabbed.

Biden included in his remarks a warning to Iran’s leaders, who have supported Hamas in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and said the U.S. “will continue to hold them accountable.”

As Biden seeks a second term in a campaign that will likely hinge on  voters’ feeling about the economy , he was careful to emphasize that the spending will create jobs for U.S. workers, referencing the construction of missiles in Arizona and artillery shells in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas.

And he worked in a nod to one of his political heroes, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, by saying that “just as in World War II,” the country is “building the arsenal of democracy and serving the cause of freedom.”

Biden faces an array of steep challenges as he tries to secure the money. The House remains in chaos because the Republican majority has been  unable to select a speaker  to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted more than two weeks ago.

In addition, conservative Republicans oppose sending more weapons to Ukraine as its battle against the Russian invasion approaches the two-year mark. Biden’s previous request for funding, which included $24 billion to help with the next few months of fighting, was stripped out of  budget legislation last month  despite  a personal plea  from Zelenskyy.

The White House has warned that time is running out to prevent Ukraine, which recently struggled to make progress in a grueling counteroffensive, from losing ground to Russia because of dwindling supplies of weapons.

There will be resistance from some on the other side of the political spectrum when it comes to military assistance for Israel, which has been bombarding the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

Critics have accused Israel of indiscriminately killing civilians and committing war crimes by cutting off essential supplies including food, water and fuel.

Bipartisan support for Israel has already eroded in recent years as progressive Democrats have become more outspoken in their opposition to the country’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territory, which is widely viewed as illegal by the international community.

There are rumbles of disagreement within Biden’s administration as well. Josh Paul, a State Department official who oversaw the congressional liaison office dealing with foreign arms sales, resigned over U.S. policy on weapons transfers to Israel.

“I cannot work in support of a set of major policy decisions, including rushing more arms to one side of the conflict, that I believe to be short-sighted, destructive, unjust and contradictory to the very values that we publicly espouse,” he wrote in a statement posted to his LinkedIn account.

A speech from the Oval Office is one of the most prestigious platforms that a president can command, an opportunity to try to seize the country’s attention at a moment of crisis. ABC, NBC and CBS all said they would break into regular programming to carry the address live.

Biden has delivered  only one other such speech  during his presidency, after Congress passed bipartisan budget legislation to avert a default on the country’s debt.

The White House and other senior administration officials, including Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, have quietly briefed key lawmakers in recent days about the contours of the planned supplemental funding request.

The Democratic Senate plans to move quickly on Biden’s proposal, hoping that it creates pressure on the Republican-controlled House to resolve its leadership drama and return to legislating.

However, there are disagreements within the Senate, too, on how to move forward. Eight Republicans, led by Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, said they did not want to combine assistance for Ukraine and Israel in the same legislation.

READ MORE: How $6 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine collapsed in the deal to avoid a government shutdown

“These are two separate and unrelated conflicts and it would be wrong to leverage support of aid to Israel in an attempt to get additional aid for Ukraine across the finish line,” they wrote in a letter.

North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer said he was fine with the proposal as long as there was also a fresh effort to address border issues. But he said “it’s got to be designed to secure the border, not to facilitate travel through the border.”

Although there was a lull in migrant arrivals to the U.S. after the start of  new asylum restrictions in May , illegal crossings topped a daily average of more than 8,000 last month.

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who leads a Senate panel that oversees funding for the Department of Homeland Security, was wary of any effort to overhaul border policy during a debate over spending.

“How are we going to settle our differences over immigration in the next two weeks?” Murphy said. “This is a supplemental funding bill. The minute you start loading it up with policies, that sounds like a plan to fail.”

Biden’s decision to include funding for the Indo-Pacific in his proposal is a nod toward the potential for another international conflict. China wants to reunify the self-governing island of Taiwan with its mainland, a goal that could be carried out through force.

Although wars in Europe and the Middle East have been the most immediate concerns for U.S. foreign policy, Biden views Asia as the key arena in the struggle for global influence.

The administration’s national security strategy, released last year, describes China as “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge.”

Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Mary Clare Jalonick, Kevin Freking and Darlene Superville and AP media writer David Bauder contributed to this report.

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Presidential Speeches

January 20, 2021: inaugural address, about this speech.

January 20, 2021

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021. In his Inaugural Address, he stressed the need for the country to come together in unity. Speaking to those who voted for him and to those who did not, Biden made the strong case that together the country could move forward to contain the coronavirus pandemic and improve the economy. His address was in stark contrast to President Donald Trump's Inaugural Address four years earlier. 

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Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans.

This is America’s day.

This is democracy’s day.

A day of history and hope.

Of renewal and resolve.

Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge.

Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy.

The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.

We have learned again that democracy is precious.

Democracy is fragile.

And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.

So now, on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.

We look ahead in our uniquely American way – restless, bold, optimistic – and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be.

I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here.

I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

You know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength of our nation.

As does President Carter, who I spoke to last night but who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.

I have just taken the sacred oath each of these patriots took — an oath first sworn by George Washington.

But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us.

On “We the People” who seek a more perfect Union.

This is a great nation and we are a good people.

Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far. But we still have far to go.

We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility.

Much to repair.

Much to restore.

Much to heal.

Much to build.

And much to gain.

Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or difficult than the one we’re in now.

A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country.

It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II.

Millions of jobs have been lost.

Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed.

A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.

A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear.

And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.

To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to secure the future of America – requires more than words.

It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy:

In another January in Washington, on New Year’s Day 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

When he put pen to paper, the President said, “If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.”

My whole soul is in it.

Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this:

Bringing America together.

Uniting our people.

And uniting our nation.

I ask every American to join me in this cause.

Uniting to fight the common foes we face:

Anger, resentment, hatred.

Extremism, lawlessness, violence.

Disease, joblessness, hopelessness.

With unity we can do great things. Important things.

We can right wrongs.

We can put people to work in good jobs.

We can teach our children in safe schools.

We can overcome this deadly virus.

We can reward work, rebuild the middle class, and make health care secure for all.

We can deliver racial justice.

We can make America, once again, the leading force for good in the world.

I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy.

I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real.

But I also know they are not new.

Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, and demonization have long torn us apart.

The battle is perennial.

Victory is never assured.

Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our “better angels” have always prevailed.

In each of these moments, enough of us came together to carry all of us forward.

And, we can do so now.

History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity.

We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors.

We can treat each other with dignity and respect.

We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature.

For 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.

And, we must meet this moment as the United States of America.

If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail.

We have never, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together.

And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start afresh.

Let us listen to one another.

Hear one another. See one another.

Show respect to one another.

Politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path.

Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war.

And, we must reject a culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.

My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this.

America has to be better than this.

And, I believe America is better than this.

Just look around.

Here we stand, in the shadow of a Capitol dome that was completed amid the Civil War, when the Union itself hung in the balance.

Yet we endured and we prevailed.

Here we stand looking out to the great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream.

Here we stand, where 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protestors tried to block brave women from marching for the right to vote.

Today, we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office – Vice President Kamala Harris.

Don’t tell me things can’t change.

Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington National Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace.

And here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, and to drive us from this sacred ground.

That did not happen.

It will never happen.

Not tomorrow.

To all those who supported our campaign I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us.

To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart.

And if you still disagree, so be it.

That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our Republic, is perhaps our nation’s greatest strength.

Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion.

And I pledge this to you: I will be a President for all Americans.

I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.

Many centuries ago, Saint Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love.

What are the common objects we love that define us as Americans?

I think I know.

Opportunity.

And, yes, the truth.

Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson.

There is truth and there are lies.

Lies told for power and for profit.

And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.

I understand that many Americans view the future with some fear and trepidation.

I understand they worry about their jobs, about taking care of their families, about what comes next.

But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you do, or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do.

We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal.

We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.

If we show a little tolerance and humility.

If we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes just for a moment. Because here is the thing about life: There is no accounting for what fate will deal you.

There are some days when we need a hand.

There are other days when we’re called on to lend one.

That is how we must be with one another.

And, if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.

My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we will need each other.

We will need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter.

We are entering what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus.

We must set aside the politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation.

I promise you this: as the Bible says weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.

We will get through this, together

The world is watching today.

So here is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we have come out stronger for it.

We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again.

Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s.

We will lead not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example.

We will be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security.

We have been through so much in this nation.

And, in my first act as President, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those we lost this past year to the pandemic.

To those 400,000 fellow Americans – mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

We will honor them by becoming the people and nation we know we can and should be.

Let us say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, for those they left behind, and for our country.

This is a time of testing.

We face an attack on democracy and on truth.

A raging virus.

Growing inequity.

The sting of systemic racism.

A climate in crisis.

America’s role in the world.

Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways.

But the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with the gravest of responsibilities.

Now we must step up.

It is a time for boldness, for there is so much to do.

And, this is certain.

We will be judged, you and I, for how we resolve the cascading crises of our era.

Will we rise to the occasion?

Will we master this rare and difficult hour?

Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world for our children?

I believe we must and I believe we will.

And when we do, we will write the next chapter in the American story.

It’s a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me.

It’s called “American Anthem” and there is one verse stands out for me:

“The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day What shall be our legacy? What will our children say?… Let me know in my heart When my days are through America America I gave my best to you.”

Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our nation.

If we do this then when our days are through our children and our children’s children will say of us they gave their best.

They did their duty.

They healed a broken land. My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a sacred oath.

Before God and all of you I give you my word.

I will always level with you.

I will defend the Constitution.

I will defend our democracy.

I will defend America.

I will give my all in your service thinking not of power, but of possibilities.

Not of personal interest, but of the public good.

And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear.

Of unity, not division.

Of light, not darkness.

An American story of decency and dignity.

Of love and of healing.

Of greatness and of goodness.

May this be the story that guides us.

The story that inspires us.

The story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history.

We met the moment.

That democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch but thrived.

That our America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world.

That is what we owe our forebearers, one another, and generations to follow.

So, with purpose and resolve we turn to the tasks of our time.

Sustained by faith.

Driven by conviction.

And, devoted to one another and to this country we love with all our hearts.

May God bless America and may God protect our troops.

Thank you, America.

More Joe Biden speeches

Biden puts democracy at the heart of his State of the Union address

President Biden laid out the case for his campaign for reelection this year, focusing principally on democracy and abortion rights . In response, Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama focused on immigration and painted a dark picture of the country, aligned with former President Donald Trump’s message.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Biden’s performance: The president cleared a low bar , giving a forceful and political address that may have eased the nerves of some Democrats.
• Immigration: Biden left the topic of immigration toward the end of his speech for a reason.
• Trump’s reaction : The former president’s remarks on Truth Social ranged from the personal to the defensive.

Thanks for joining us

Now that Biden has headed back to the White House and the GOP response has ended, we're winding this down tonight.

Here's a full transcript of Biden's remarks — or watch his address:

Good night!

GOP Spanish-language rebuttal stays on the border

By Ximena Bustillo

Border policy and the death of Laken Riley stayed top talking points in Texas GOP Rep. Mónica De La Cruz's Spanish-language rebuttal to Biden's speech.

"On the border, we see the disaster that Biden has caused," she said , adding that she is concerned about drugs and crime influenced by border crossings.

De La Cruz also focused on inflation and economic issues, and added a bit of foreign policy in the mix, noting that China and Russia "are helping the socialist governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua."

She closed with the same final question as fellow GOP rebutter Sen. Katie Britt: "Are you better off now than you were three years ago?"

Sen. Katie Britt focuses on immigration and IVF in rebuttal

The U.S.-Mexico border continued to be a top talking point into the rebuttal speech given by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala.

Britt echoed GOP arguments that Biden created a "border crisis." Laken Riley's death was mentioned once again as an example of a crime committed by someone who has crossed the border.

Britt also voiced support for IVF, a service that has been in legal limbo in her state , stating: "And we want families to grow. It's why we strongly support continued nationwide access to in vitro fertilization. We want to help loving moms and dads bring precious life into this world."

Her speech also focused on threats from China, inflation and the closing question: "Are you better off now than you were three years ago?" The same question was also posed at the end of the Spanish-language rebuttal.

Britt calls out Biden for hypocrisy on TikTok

By Deepa Shivaram

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who delivered the GOP response to Biden's speech, called out Biden on TikTok, the popular social media app owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

The White House said this week they're backing a bill in Congress that would allow the president to ban TikTok unless it severs ties with ByteDance, citing national security concerns over the company's use of data.

The president has already signed a law that bans the app on government devices. But that hasn't stopped Biden from joining the platform for his campaign. Last month "BidenHQ" joined TikTok, in an attempt to reach younger voters.

"He bans TikTok for government employees, but creates an account for his own campaign," Britt said. "You can't make this stuff up."

Earlier in her remarks, Britt said Chinese Communist Party was "spreading propaganda" through TikTok. "The CCP knows that if it conquers the minds of our next generation, it conquers America."

Biden embraces age, talks of future, criticizes right's 'ancient ideas'

By Domenico Montanaro

Joe Biden is old.

Yes. There has been tons of discussion around the 81-year-old president's age. He's the oldest president in the history of the office. Polls show it's one of his biggest vulnerabilities , even lots of Democrats worry about his facility and ability to be president. But Biden tried to move the conversation beyond his age to his ideas, comparing them to the "ancient" ones promulgated by Trump and the right.

He reintroduced himself, saying he had been often criticized for being "too young" when he was elected senator at 29. Biden described hate, anger, and retribution as the oldest ideas and you "can't lead America with ancient ideas." He said the country hasn't always lived up to the ideal that all people are created equal, but said, "I won't walk away from it now. I'm optimistic." And Biden talked about his vision for the future.

Biden's goal tonight was to convince people he's up to the job, and he likely did that for most who are open to voting for him.

Biden heads to Philadelphia Friday, Atlanta Saturday

Biden hits the road to take his State of the Union message straight to swing state voters starting on Friday.

He'll first head to Philadelphia. On Saturday, the president and first lady Jill Biden will attend a rally in Atlanta, a state where turnout from several communities of color will be critical if Biden is to win the state again.

It's traditional for presidents to travel the country after giving the State of the Union address. And he won't be the only one on the road; Vice President Harris is going to Arizona and Nevada, and cabinet officials will be fanning out around the country.

Biden's SOTU section on abortion never said the word "abortion"

By Danielle Kurtzleben

Biden's address tonight contained a fiery section on abortion rights, but the president did not use the actual word "abortion."

Reproductive rights advocates have criticized Biden on this note for years, saying he doesn't use the word often enough. One group, We Testify, created a website devoted to this criticism.

In fact, Biden's remarks as written did include the word, saying, "Because Texas law banned abortion, Kate and her husband had to leave the state to get the care she needed" — referring to a Texas woman who received an emergency abortion.

But in delivering his speech, Biden replaced the word "abortion," instead saying "Because Texas law banned her ability to act."

Biden lays blame on Trump — but doesn't mention him by name

Throughout his speech, Biden did not call out former President Donald Trump by name but he did call out his "predecessor" various times. That included claims that Trump:

• Told Putin to “ Do whatever the hell you want "
• Wants to "bury the truth" about what happened on Jan. 6, along with other GOP members of Congress
• Took credit for overturning of Roe v. Wade
• Didn't "buy American"
• Wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act
• Told Republicans to block the bipartisan immigration deal
• Didn't take action to address gun violence

Biden, off script, talks about crimes by 'illegals'

When Biden was heckled by frequent antagonist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., about his border policies, his ad-libbed response generated criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.

Taylor Greene shouted out the name of Laken Riley , a Georgia student who was killed last month. Trump has blamed Biden for her death. An undocumented Venezuelan immigrant has been arrested for the crime.

Earlier in the day the House passed the Laken Riley Act , which would require the detention of migrants who commit burglary or theft. Green had handed a pin with her name to Biden as he walked into the chamber.

Responding to Taylor Greene, Biden referred to Riley as "Lincoln," and said she had been "killed by an illegal." He added, "But how many thousands of people are being killed by illegals?"

The use of the "illegal" to refer to undocumented migrants quickly received online backlash from progressives, while conservatives criticized the fumble of Laken's name.

Vice President Harris gets a few shout-outs from Biden

This speech is a high-profile moment for any vice president. Tonight, Biden his vice president a few times during his address, noting Harris' work on fighting for reproductive rights and on gun violence prevention.

Harris has been the lead figure in the White House taking on protecting abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was overturned. "I thank Vice President Harris for being an incredible leader, defending reproductive freedom and so much more," Biden said.

He also mentioned her work on gun safety. Last year, when Biden established the first ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention , he tapped Harris to lead it.

Biden also mentioned Harris as he talked about the arc of history that he's seen during his many years in politics, noting he had served as vice president to the nation's first Black president — and now serves alongside the first woman to serve as vice president.

What Trump said about Iowa shooting

President Biden, at one point, pointed out that former President Trump had said after a mass shooting in Iowa that people had to "get over it."

House Speaker Mike Johnson shook his head behind Biden as he said it, but here's what Trump said back in January at a campaign rally:

“I want to send our support and our deepest sympathies to the victims and families touched by the terrible school shooting yesterday in Perry, Iowa. It’s just horrible, so surprising to see it here. But have to get over it, we have to move forward."

Up next: Sen. Katie Britt, who will deliver the Republican response

By Heidi Glenn

We're waiting for Alabama Sen. Katie Britt to give the Republican response to Biden's address.

According to excerpts released earlier tonight, Britt is expected to slam the president on border and high costs and will also go after Biden on his withdrawal from Afghanistan and his Iran policy. Stick with us here on this live blog — and our in-studio video stream of NPR's special coverage — in the meantime.

Biden empathizes with people in Gaza, and says Israel must do more to allow aid in

Biden was more descriptive than he has been in talking about the civilian death toll in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have been killed as Israel responds to the October 7th Hamas attack.

"This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined," Biden said. "Thousands and thousands are innocent women and children. Girls and boys also orphaned. Nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displaced. Homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin. Families without food, water, medicine."

Biden has been criticized for not doing more to speak out against Israel. Tonight, he said Israel has to do more to let more aid into Gaza. "Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip," Biden said.

Read more about Biden's announcement of a port to get more aid into Gaza.

Trump's argumentative State of the Union responses

On Truth Social tonight, Donald Trump's running commentary on Biden's address ranged from the personal ("His hair is much better in the front than on the back!") to the defensive ("Putin only invaded Ukraine, because he has no respect for Biden. Would have never happened under the Trump Administration, and for four years it didn’t happen!"). He also advised Biden not to shake hands as he leaves ("DON’T SHAKE PEOPLE’S HANDS GOING OUT – HE KEEPS COUGHING INTO HIS RIGHT HAND!").

The Truth Social site experienced a spike in outages during the speech but regained function as the night went on.

Guess who's back? Santos 2024

Former GOP Rep. George Santos announced on the social media platform X that he is looking to run in 2024 for a new congressional seat. This time he has his eyes set on New York's 1st District.

The seat is currently held by GOP Rep. Nick LaLota, who won the seat in 2022. Santos was expelled last year by the House.

Biden struggles some toward back of speech, but overall a solid performance so far

President Biden had a forceful beginning of his speech. Later on, he seemed to struggle some with a choppy back and forth with Republicans on immigration. His voice grew hoarse at times. He mentioned going to Moscow for lower prescription drugs, though he caught himself.

For those who don't like Biden, they'll point to Biden's worst moments as him not being up to the job. But for Democrats, who wanted to see vigor, overall they have to be thrilled with the speech so far — and most, they hope, will remember the forceful beginning of the speech.

The question is whether he is doing enough to convince hesitant independents that they should vote for him again. He showed, at least for one night, he's got some fight left in him.

Biden says no one should go to jail for cannabis

Biden said no one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana, an issue that disproporionately impacts Black Americans.

Most Americans believe marijuana should be legal for medicinal and recreational use.

He said he's been directing his administration to review the federal classification of marijuana. Biden has already pardoned people who had been charged with simple possession of marijuana .

Last year, Biden also issued a statement encouraging governors to take action on marijuana laws in their own states.

"Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the use or possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either," Biden said in December.

Biden left immigration further down in his speech for a reason

Half an hour into President Biden's address, he'd left immigration out. He led off with democracy, abortion rights, the economy, infrastructure, even mentioned unions, Obamacare, Social Security and more.

It's understandable that Biden would leave immigration to further down, because it's a real vulnerability. The latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found just 29% approved of the job Biden was doing handling immigration, and Republicans had a 12-point advantage when respondents were asked which party they thought would do a better job on the issue.

When he got to it, he criticized Republicans for voting against a bill that Republicans negotiated. He knew that this portion would fire up Republicans. It's the animating issue for the GOP. Since the 2011 State of the Union when a South Carolina congressman yelled out, "You lie," it has drawn heckles from Republicans. When Biden mentioned portions of the bill, there were those who yelled out, accusing Biden of lying.

"You're saying no," Biden said to Republicans, "look at the facts. I know you know how to read."

His team expected this back and forth. Biden's response overall was choppy. He has to hope more people will remember the top of his speech.

Read Biden's speech

➡️ Read along with Biden's remarks as prepared for delivery.

Biden proposes tax credit to offset high mortgage rates

"I know the cost of housing is so important to you," Biden said, noting that mortgage rates will come down.

But the president said he didn't want to wait, so he's proposing that Congress pass legislation for an annual tax credit to offset high mortgage rates for first-time homebuyers, and for those who are ready to graduate from their starter home.

The White House, which released the proposed plan earlier today, pitched it as a way of easing the “lock-in effect."

The plan also calls for building and renovating more than 2 million homes.

Biden so far clearing a very low bar on performance

Biden has come out of the gate with a very forceful address. He's hammered home key issues everyone will hear a lot about over the next eight months — preserving democracy, Jan. 6, abortion rights and infrastructure.

He jabbed former President Donald Trump, merely referring to him as "my predecessor," noting that he's the "reason Roe was overturned, and he bragged about it." He poked the Supreme Court, quoting it on the power of women at the ballot box — "You're about to find out just how right you were about that."

On infrastructure, he got in a dig at Republicans cheering money for their districts they didn't vote for, saying, "If any of you don't want that money in your district, just let me know."

He's hit on a checklist of issues and voter groups he needs for reelection. Center-right Republican strategist Sarah Longwell, no Trump fan, made this point about the tyranny of low expectations: "Republicans might regret setting the bar at dementia."

Republicans might regret setting the bar at dementia. — Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) March 8, 2024

Capping insulin costs is a big priority for Biden

Biden talked about capping the cost of prescription drugs — a line that often gets enthusiastic applause during his events at the White House and on the road.

"Instead of paying $400 a month for insulin, seniors with diabetes only have to pay $35 a month," Biden said. "And now I want to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for every American who needs it."

Biden pointed out that costs for drugs in other countries are far less expensive than they are in the U.S.

One problem for Biden with semiconductor jobs: not enough workers to fill them

By Staff reports

Biden has spent a lot of time talking about jobs at semiconductor plants thanks to the CHIPS Act as he makes his reelection pitch. But there's a major hurdle to turning expansion plans into reality — currently, there are not enough workers to fill those jobs.

Read more in this story from NPR's Asma Khalid here.

Truth Social experiences outages during Trump State of the Union response

Amid Trump's live responses to the State of the Union on Truth Social, the site stopped loading for users. The site Down Detector, which tracks outages on popular sites, showed a spike in Truth Social outages starting shortly after the State of the Union began, at 9 p.m. ET.

Biden shouts out Swedish Prime Minister

Biden shouted out Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, as Sweden officially joined NATO today — a move prompted by Russia's war in Ukraine.

The president started off his remarks talking about the need for the United States to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and send more aid to Ukraine. Aid has been blocked by some Republicans in Congress for months.

“If anyone thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine I assure you he will not," Biden said.

“Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine," Biden said. “That is all Ukraine is asking."

Biden puts democracy at heart of State of the Union — and his presidential campaign

President Biden is putting democracy and freedom at the center of his State of the Union address, and it's a signal that this will be the overarching theme of his candidacy for reelection. Without naming him, Biden went after former President Trump, saying he is "bowing down" to Russia's Vladimir Putin. He called it "outrageous, dangerous and unacceptable."

"We will not bow down," Biden said. "I will not bow down. In a literal sense, history is watching."

He then called out forcefully those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying they were "not patriots" and noted that the lies about the 2020 election "posed the gravest threat to democracy since the Civil War, but they failed" and "America stood."

He then again called out Trump and House Republicans, saying, "My predecessor — and some of you here — want to bury the truth about Jan. 6. ... We have to bury the lies."

Preserving democracy has risen to the top of many issue polls, and Biden's team believes it, along with abortion rights, are the crystallizing topics that will bring his base back together. Biden's task starts today.

Progressive Democrats sport keffiyehs in support of Palestinians

By Lexie Schapitl

Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) are wearing keffiyehs in the chamber tonight as a show of support for Palestinians.

Tlaib, the first Palestinian American to serve in Congress, and Bush are two members of Congress pushing for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza. They have been critical of President Biden's support for Israel, and Tlaib was one of more than 100,000 Michiganders to vote "uncommitted" in the state's primary last month.

To many Palestinians, the keffiyeh, a traditional Arab scarf, has become a symbol of their struggle for freedom. For some non-Palestinians, wearing one has become a show of solidarity. Read more from NPR's Linah Mohammed.

Education Secretary Cardona is the designated survivor

The designated survivor for tonight’s State of the Union is Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, a White House official told reporters.

It is tradition for one member of the cabinet to not attend the evening's event in case of a catastrophe that would result in the death of the President, Vice President and others in the presidential succession line who would also be gathered in the House chamber.

The rules state that the designated survivor must be a natural-born U.S. citizen, at least 35 years old, and he or she must have been a resident of the U.S. for the past 14 years.

President Biden has arrived in the House chamber

Biden has entered the chamber to deliver his 2024 State of the Union address, shaking hands on his way in.

SCOTUS in the House

Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are in the House chamber, including:

• Chief Justice John Roberts
• Justice Sonya Sotomayor
• Justice Elena Kagan
• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
• Justice Neil Gorsuch
• Justice Brett Kavanaugh
• Retired Justice Anthony Kennedy

So far not present are Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett.

An important State of the Union for Biden and politics

Democrats are biting their nails. Biden is delivering a State of the Union address in a year he's seeking reelection when his approval ratings are underwater, polls have shown him struggling against former President Trump and he's been lagging with key portions of his base — young voters and Black and Latino voters.

A lot of the angst with younger voters, a crucial part of the coalition Biden needs to help him win, is because of the war in Gaza. He's facing protests tonight in Washington over the war, which is highly unusual. These State of the Union addresses are often for the base — and Biden needs to reassure people who want him to win, start to win back people who should vote for him who are skeptical and show he's up to the task in the hot spotlight given all the questions around his age.

Trump starts his State of the Union response early

Former President Donald Trump posted a State of the Union "prebuttal" to Truth Social Thursday afternoon, consisting of a video in which he assails President Biden on immigration, inflation and climate policy. The message includes multiple lies.

Trump has said he will be doing "rapid response" during the State of the Union on Truth Social. His posts attacking Biden regarding his speech started hours before the State of the Union. We will be following Trump's posts tonight, recapping any notable responses here.

Britt will describe Biden as 'dithering' in her SOTU response

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., will also go after Biden on his withdrawal from Afghanistan and his Iran policy, according to excerpts released ahead of time by House Speaker Mike Johnson.

"We’ve become a nation in retreat. And the enemies of freedom see an opportunity," Britt will say.

She also will call Biden "a dithering and diminished leader" — a description that echoes Special Counsel Robert Hur's depiction of Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man."

“America deserves leaders who recognize that secure borders, stable prices, safe streets, and a strong defense are the cornerstones of a great nation," Britt will say.

What to wear?

Lawmakers are preparing to deck themselves out in outfits, buttons and pins that best represent causes important to them.

Members of the Democratic Women's Caucus will be wearing white outfits and “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” pins in the chamber tonight.

“Our message is clear: women must be able to access the health care they need to control their own lives and futures," said Chair Lois Frankel in a statement. "That means women, not politicians, should be in charge of whether, when, and how to start or grow their families. That includes access to birth control, access to abortion, and access to IVF."

For tonight’s State of the Union address, we’re in white and wearing ‘Fighting for Reproductive Freedom’ pins. Our message is clear: we won't stop fighting until all women can access the health care they need to control their own lives and futures. pic.twitter.com/A7nEOjI51l — Democratic Women's Caucus (@DemWomenCaucus) March 7, 2024

A cohort of progressive members of Congress will be wearing pins with the word "ceasefire," in reference to the Israel and Hamas war.

Other members are wearing blue in solidarity with Israeli hostages .

Meanwhile, some House Republicans may be spotted with red " Stop the Biden Border Crisis " and "Laken Riley" buttons. Riley, a student in Georgia, was killed by who immigration officials say was an undocumented immigrant . Earlier in the day the House passed the Laken Riley Act , which would require the detention of any migrant who commits burglary or theft.

Former Rep. George Santos, who was expelled from his seat last year, came wearing a crystal-collared shirt and silver shoes .

Correction (March 8, 2024): An earlier version of this blog post misspelled Lois Frankel's first name as Louis.

Harris and Johnson are in the chamber

House Speaker Mike Johnson has called the special joint session of Congress to order.

Johnson and Vice President Kamala Harris are announcing the names of the members of Congress on the presidential escort committee.

A farmworker advocate will be one California rep's guest

United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero will be the guest of Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Romero, an immigrant from Mexico, is the first Latina and first immigrant woman to become president of a national union in the United States.

"Her presence at the State of the Union will serve as a powerful testament to the strength and diversity of our nation — and a reminder of our ongoing commitment to fighting for the dignity and respect of every worker," Schiff said in a statement.

Biden is leaving the White House for the U.S. Capitol

The president is on his way to deliver his address — heading down to the other end of Pennsylvania Ave. ahead of his 9 p.m. speech. He'll enter the House chamber after other lawmakers, guests, members of his cabinet and the Supreme Court justices have been seated.

Fat Joe on the guest list

Rapper Fat Joe, aka Joseph Antonio Cartagena, will be the guest for Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragán, D-Calif.

Barragán highlighted his work on health care. "Fat Joe’s bipartisan work to highlight the need for price transparency at hospitals, from insurers, and other parts of our health care system is a vital way to ensure that American families aren’t blindsided by huge bills every time after they visit the hospital," Barragán said in a statement.

Fat Joe has worked with the nonprofit Power to the Patients as a spokesperson and has spent time in D.C. talking about the issue.

Other Johnson guests aim to address foreign and immigration policy

One of speaker Mike Johnson's guests will be 21-year-old freed Hamas hostage Mia Schem.

"Mia spent more than 50 days in captivity after being kidnapped on October 7th," Johnson said. "I am proud to stand with Mia and join her in demanding the release of all hostages held captive by Hamas."

He is also bringing to the gallery Tammy Nobles and Stefanie Turner. He is using both parents as examples for his hardline stance on border policy. Both women have lost their children, which has led to their advocacy work. Nobles' daughter was killed by an undocumented immigrant who was a member of the MS-13 gang, and Turner's son died from fentanyl poisoning.

Nobles was previously in D.C. last year to testify before a House panel during a hearing on the Biden administration's immigration and border policies . Turner formed the group Texas Against Fentanyl.

'Bless his heart': Britt will slam Biden on border and high costs

Biden isn't the only one bringing up age tonight.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who is delivering the GOP response tonight, is the youngest female senator ever elected. And she's taking aim at Biden by saying future generations will have fewer opportunities. She plans to say Americans are struggling to plan for their future.

"The American people are scraping by while the President proudly proclaims Bidenomics is working! Bless his heart. We know better," Britt will say.

She also will go after Biden on securing the border, which polling shows is a weak issue for Biden — though he's started going on the offense to blame congressional Republicans for bailing on a bipartisan agreement on the issue.

“We know that President Biden didn’t just create this border crisis. He invited it with 94 executive actions in his first 100 days," Britt will say. "President Biden’s border crisis is a disgrace. It’s despicable. And it’s almost entirely preventable.”

The curse of the State of the Union response

The person who gives the response to the State of the Union has often fell on hard times politically — not always, but it has happened often enough that it's referred to as the State of the Union "curse."

“The biggest problem with giving the State of the Union response is stark contrast ,” the late PBS NewsHour contributor Mark Shields told Politico in 2014. “You’re following a ceremonial event—joint chiefs, supremes, ambassadors, plus, since the Gipper [Ronald Reagan], everyday heroes in the balcony. And you, the responder, are sitting in an empty room staring into a camera [and] teleprompter.”

Here's a look at some who fell under the SOTU voodoo this century:

2019: Stacey Abrams lost her bid for governor in 2022. 2018: Rep. Joseph Kennedy's glossy lips gained attention but the shine wore off later that year, losing a Senate primary. 2014: Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers rose to House leadership but never went higher, announcing this year she is not running for reelection. 2013: Sen. Marco Rubio went viral quenching his thirst during his response and then his bid for the presidency in 2016 wound up all wet. 2011: Paul Ryan went on to be on the losing presidential ticket as VP in 2012, climbed to House speaker but then resigned from the post and is now out of politics. 2010: Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was a rising star but then was indicted and is out of politics 2009: Bobby Jindal was a rising star, but his awkward response hurt his chances for president in 2012. 2008: Former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius became Health and Human Services secretary overseeing the botched rollout of healthcare.gov. She's out of politics. 2004: Former Sen. Tom Daschle lost his Senate seat that year and, in 2009, was forced to withdraw his nomination for HHS secretary because of tax return errors. 2002: Dick Gephardt was House minority leader but after Democrats lost seats that year, he resigned from the leadership post.

It hasn't always been bad. Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders gave the response in 2023 and is still governor.

On the day Sweden joins NATO, their prime minister attends SOTU

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will be a guest of the president tonight.

Sweden officially joined NATO today, something Biden pushed hard for in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland, also a recent add to the alliance, officially joined last year.

In his remarks, Biden is expected to call on Congress to pass aid for Ukraine, which has been held up for months.

How Biden plans to address his age — and Trump

Biden plans to deflect concerns about his age — and to draw a distinction from former President Donald Trump (without directly naming him) on issues of democracy and and freedom.

“My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy,” Biden will say, according to prepared remarks released by the White House. “A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor.

“Now some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me.”

Why George Santos is at the State of the Union

By Tamara Keith

Last year, when George Santos was still a congressman, he nabbed a coveted on-camera position near the center aisle for the State of the Union speech. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, gave him an earful, and afterward told reporters "he shouldn't be there and if he had any shame at all, he wouldn't be there."

In December, accused by prosecutors of a number of financial misdeeds, he became the sixth House member ever to be expelled from Congress.

But that didn't stop him from using a perk offered to all former members — floor privileges — to appear for tonight's speech.

➡️ Read more about the politics of shame here.

What are junk fees?

The Biden administration has coined the term "junk fees" to talk about unnecessary or excessive fees tacked onto a purchase — like resort fees, concert ticket fees and car rental fees. It also applies to fees that banks impose, such as overdraft fees.

He talked about it in his State of the Union last year, and the issue picked up steam after fans expressed frustration at Ticketmaster for how they handled the sale of tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras tour.

As part of an effort to try and lower costs for Americans, Biden has directed agencies to go after companies that aren't being transparent or are overcharging people. For example, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau recently announced a new rule that would cap late credit card payment fees at $8, down from the average of $32. (That move is now facing a lawsuit, which would likely delay or prevent the change)

Polling shows getting rid of junk fees is extremely popular across both parties, and Biden has otherwise struggled to win over voters on his handling of the economy, which remains a top issue in the 2024 election.

Biden often complains there's no editors anymore. Here's his jab at the media tonight

Biden often expresses frustrations with reporters about what he perceives as their negative coverage of his administration. "There's no editors anymore," he complained to donors in New York last month.

Tonight he'll accuse the media of failing to cover the positive economic results during his time in office. "It doesn’t make the news, but in thousands of cities and towns the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told," Biden is set to say, according to excerpts released by the White House.

Will Biden roll out a new sick burn this year?

Last year, Biden ad-libbed a line in his speech that got people… wondering.

"As my football coach used to say, 'Lots of luck in your senior year,'" Biden said.

We talked to linguists and even an old high school pal of Biden’s to help translate.

➡️ Find out what it means here.

Some Democrats are hoping Biden will go off script again

By Deirdre Walsh

Last year Biden energized Democrats by getting into a back-and-forth with Republicans about protecting Social Security. Pennsylvania Democrat Matt Cartwright represents Scranton, Pa., — where Biden grew up — and hopes he'll go off script again.

"He needs to get his Irish up the way he did last year," Cartwright told NPR. He pushed back at the president's handlers who want to keep him on message and said they shouldn't be worried about any gaffes. "The gaffes are already baked into his numbers, and they have been for decades."

Cartwright is one of many congressional Democrats in competitive races this fall whose political fates could be tied to Biden's this November. That's why they want him to use his State of the Union address, when millions will be tuning in, to showcase the economic progress he's made in his first term, and explain how he'll build on it with four more years in the White House.

➡️ Read more: Vulnerable Democrats want Biden's address to focus on border and the economy

Parents of detained WSJ reporter in the audience

Ella Milman & Mikhail Gershkovich will be guests of Speaker Mike Johnson. They are the parents of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter and U.S. citizen detained by Russia's Federal Security Service nearly a year ago while on a reporting trip.

He is held on an allegation of espionage that he, the Journal and the U.S. government have denied. Calls for his release have been bipartisan .

"The US must always stand for freedom of the press, especially in places where it is under assault," Johnson said in a post on X . "The Admin must bring Evan home."

I’m honored to host Ella Milman & Mikhail Gershkovich for the State of the Union, shining a spotlight on the unjust detention of their son, Evan. The US must always stand for freedom of the press, especially in places where it is under assault. The Admin must bring Evan home. https://t.co/FCyCEipG6K — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) March 5, 2024

Americans are concerned about housing costs. Biden is proposing new help for that

By Laurel Wamsley

Many Americans are concerned about the high cost of housing. Tonight, Biden will call on Congress to pass legislation to give first-time homebuyers a $10,000 tax credit, according to a plan laid out by the White House.

He's also proposing a $10,000 tax credit to nudge middle-class Americans who currently own starter homes towards selling them and moving to a home that fits them better. It's pitched as a way of easing the “lock-in effect” that has taken hold amid rising housing costs and high interest rates.

Biden will ask voters to give him a Congress to restore abortion rights

Biden has long been saying that abortion rights in Roe v. Wade should be restored — but without Congress, there's not much he can do about it.

On the road, Biden has said he will veto any national bans on abortion Congress tries to pass. But he also wants voters to elect more Democrats to the Senate — and flip the House blue — in order for legislation to pass.

"Clearly those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women in America," Biden will say, according to excerpts released by the White House. "But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they will find out again in 2024."

"If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose I promise you: I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again," Biden will say.

One White House guest: Kate Cox, who was denied an abortion in Texas

By Vanessa Romo

Biden and Democrats invited a series of guests tonight to show how new abortion restrictions are affecting people's lives.

Kate Cox, 31, is a Texas mother of two who was denied an emergency abortion by the state Supreme Court in December. Cox was nearly 20 weeks into her pregnancy when doctors diagnosed the fetus with Trisomy 18 or Edwards Syndrome, a condition with extremely low chances of survival.

Cox also faced other complications, including cramping and a high risk of developing gestational hypertension and diabetes. By November, when Cox first petitioned a lower court for an exception to Texas' extremely restrictive abortion bans, she had been in the emergency room four times, according to court filings.

The state's high court found that Cox's lawyers and doctor had not proven she was eligible for an abortion under the state's narrow exception allowances. Following that decision, Cox left the state to get the procedure in New Mexico.

Read more about the guests who will be there tonight.

Biden preps with the stars

President Biden got some 'advice' on his big speech today from a group of past presidents.

Actors Morgan Freeman, Tony Goldwyn, Geena Davis, Michael Douglas and Bill Pullman have played the role of president in movies and TV shows and shared some wisdom in a light-hearted social media post.

"Just keep telling us how you're working for us and building hope," Freeman said.

"Tell them you exist for them," Goldwyn said, adding that Biden should unwind with some ice cream afterward.

"There's no crying in politics," Davis added.

You may’ve heard I’ve got a big speech coming up. So, I thought I would hear from some folks who have done the job before – sort of. pic.twitter.com/7wFYVQm7Xm — President Biden (@POTUS) March 7, 2024

A Texas Republican will give a Spanish-language rebuttal

Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, was designated by Republican leaders to give the Spanish-language rebuttal tonight. It will air on Telemundo and Univision and YouTube.

De La Cruz took office in 2023, flipping the south Texas seat . In a statement, House Speaker Mike Johnson lauded De La Cruz for being the first Hispanic woman and Republican to represent the district.

"Congresswoman De La Cruz’s journey to Congress is nothing short of inspirational and encapsulates the very essence of what it means to live the American dream," he said.

Here are some of the guests who will attend tonight's speech

By NPR Staff

A gospel singer and civil rights activist known as "the Voice of Selma," the prime minister of Sweden and a middle school teacher whose student loan debt was forgiven — these are some of the people who will be special guests at tonight's State of the Union address.

It's part of the annual tradition for the White House to invite guests who bring to life the themes of the presidential speech. Political opponents of the president also bring guests to help criticize the administration's policies.

Among the guests the White House invited:

• Bettie Mae Fikes , a  singer  and civil rights leader who marched on Bloody Sunday, in Selma, Ala., nearly six decades ago.
• Prime Minister  Ulf Kristersson  of Sweden, whose country has just  officially joined NATO .
• Keenan Jones , a middle school teacher in Plymouth, Minn., whose student loan debt was forgiven.
• Jazmin Cazares , who became an advocate for tougher gun laws after  her sister Jackie  was killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

➡️ Read more about the guests who will be there tonight.

Biden plans to announce a new port to deliver Gaza aid

Biden is expected to announce tonight that the U.S. military will lead an emergency mission to build a new pier on the Mediterranean coast of Gaza so that large ships can deliver food, water, medicine and temporary shelters there.

As NPR's Greg Myre reports , the temporary pier will not require U.S. troops to land in Gaza, though the details of how this will work are not yet clear. United Nations workers and other aid groups will distribute the aid, officials told reporters. Biden is under pressure to do more to help civilians in Gaza given the scale of the crisis .

Who's giving the Republican response after the State of the Union?

Following Biden's address, Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama will deliver the GOP response. Trump endorsed Britt when she ran in 2022 after rescinding his endorsement of one of her primary opponents who had made comments about moving past the 2020 election. She's the first woman elected to the Senate from Alabama, and the only current Republican mom of school-aged kids serving in the chamber.

In announcing the news Britt had been selected to give the response, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Britt "is fighting to preserve the American Dream for the next generation. She is a champion for strong families, a secure border, national defense and a vibrant economy with stable prices and opportunities for all. The American people will tune in as the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the Senate turns the page on the oldest president in history."

Here's how to watch tonight's speech — and find NPR's special live coverage

We'll embed a livestream of Biden's remarks on this blog as we approach 9 p.m. ET. The stream will also include in-studio coverage with NPR Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, White House Correspondent Asma Khalid, National Political Correspondent Mara Liasson and Congressional Correspondent Claudia Grisales.

NPR's live special coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. You can find it on your local NPR member station  or  the NPR app.

What to expect tonight, per Biden's chief of staff

By Rachel Treisman

There are a few things we can expect from tonight's State of the Union: An audience packed with reactive lawmakers and notable guests, a lengthy speech and a lot of scrutiny, from those in the room and watching at home.

The address is an opportunity for presidents to tout their recent accomplishments and future agenda. The stakes are especially high for Biden this year, since it's his last such speech before the presidential election — which, in the wake of Super Tuesday, is looking all but certain to be a rematch with former President Donald Trump.

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told NPR's Morning Edition that Biden will discuss his administration's handling of top issues like the economy, immigration and the Israel-Hamas war, as well as his goals for a potential second term.

"Lowering costs, continuing to make people's lives better by investing in childcare, eldercare, paid family and medical leave, continued progress on student debt," Zients said, listing a few. "But I think importantly, the president is also going to call for restoring Roe v. Wade and giving women freedom over their healthcare. And he'll talk about protecting, not taking away, freedoms in other areas, as well as voting rights."

But Zients also acknowledged that restoring Roe  is one of many objectives that the president can't accomplish without Congress, where Republican instability and infighting has held up key parts of Biden's agenda, including delivering aid to Ukraine and managing the southern border.

Some recommended reading ahead of the 9 p.m. speech:

• Biden's test in the State of the Union tonight is to show he's still got what it takes
• President Biden's State of the Union speech faces dual political challenges
• Here are some of the guests who represent the themes of tonight's State of the Union
• What to expect in Biden's State of the Union speech, according to his chief of staff
• 5 takeaways from Biden's State of the Union address (2023)

‘Let's get to work': Watch and read the full text of Barack Obama's speech to the Democratic National Convention

The former president made a forceful case for vice president kamala harris, while spurning former president donald trump., published august 20, 2024 • updated on august 21, 2024 at 11:01 am.

Editor's note: The text of the speech below is as prepared. His actual delivery may have varied.

📺 Watch News4 now: Stream NBC4 newscasts for free right here, right now.

Hello, Chicago! It is good to be home.

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling fired up! I’m feeling ready to go – even if I’m the only person stupid enough to speak right after Michelle Obama… 

I’m feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible. Because we have the chance to elect someone who’s spent her whole life trying to give people the same chances America gave her. Someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you: the next President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris. 

It's been sixteen years since I had the honor of accepting this party’s nomination for president. I know it’s hard to believe since I haven’t aged a bit, but it’s true. And looking back, I can say without question that my first big decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best – and that was asking Joe Biden to serve by my side as Vice President. 

Other than some common Irish blood, Joe and I come from different backgrounds. But we became brothers. And as we worked together for eight years, what I came to admire most about Joe wasn’t just his smarts and experience, but his empathy and his decency; his hard-earned resiliency and his unshakable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot.  

Decision 2024

Trump threatens lawyers, donors and election officials with prison for ‘unscrupulous behavior'

Democrats go to new heights to spotlight Project 2025, flying banners over college football stadiums

Over the last four years, those are the values America has needed most.

At a time when millions of our fellow citizens were sick and dying, we needed a leader with the character to put politics aside and do what was right. At a time when our economy was reeling, we needed a leader with the determination to drive what became the world’s strongest recovery – with 15 million jobs, higher wages, and lower health care costs. And at a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality, we needed a leader who was steady, and brought people together, and was selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.

History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. I am proud to call him my president, but even prouder to call him my friend. 

Now the torch has been passed. Now it’s up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in. And make no mistake: it will be a fight. For all the incredible energy we’ve been able to generate over the last few weeks, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country – a country where too many Americans are still struggling, and don’t believe government can help. 

And as we gather here tonight, the people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: 

Who will fight for me? Who’s thinking about  my  future; about my  children’s  future – about  our  future together?

One thing is for certain: Donald Trump is not losing sleep over these questions. This is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about  his  problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It’s been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually gotten worse now that he’s afraid of losing to Kamala. The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size. It just goes on and on. The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day. 

From a neighbor, that’s exhausting. From a president, it’s just dangerous. The truth is, Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to  his  ends. He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help  him and his rich friends. He killed a bipartisan immigration deal that would’ve helped secure our southern border because he thought trying to actually solve the problem would hurt  his  campaign. He doesn’t seem to care if more women lose their reproductive freedoms since it won’t affect  his  life.

Most of all, Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between  us  and  them ; between the real Americans who support him and the outsiders who don’t. And he wants you to think that you’ll be richer and safer if you just give  him  the power to put those “other” people back in their place.

It’s one of the oldest tricks in politics – from a guy whose act has gotten pretty stale. We don’t need four more years of bluster and chaos. We’ve seen that movie – and we all know that the sequel’s usually worse. 

America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story. 

We are ready for a  President  Kamala Harris. 

And Kamala Harris is ready for the job. This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion. As you heard from Michelle, Kamala wasn’t born into privilege. She had to work for what she’s got, and she actually cares about what other people are going through. She’s not the neighbor running the leaf blower – she’s the neighbor rushing over to help when you need a hand. 

As a prosecutor, Kamala stood up for children who had been victims of sexual abuse. As Attorney General of the most populous state in the country, she fought big banks and for-profit colleges, securing billions of dollars for the people they had scammed. After the home mortgage crisis, she pushed me and my administration hard to make sure homeowners got a fair settlement. Didn’t matter that I was a Democrat or that she had knocked on doors for my campaign in Iowa – she was going to fight to get as much relief as possible for the families who deserved it.  

As Vice President, she helped take on the drug companies to cap the cost of insulin, lower the cost of health care, and give families with kids a tax cut. And she’s running for president with real plans to lower costs even more, protect Medicare and Social Security, and sign a law to guarantee every woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. 

Kamala Harris won’t be focused on  her  problems – she’ll be focused on  yours . As president, she won’t just cater to her own voters and punish those who refuse to bend the knee. She’ll work on behalf of  every  American.

That’s who Kamala is. And in the White House, she will have an outstanding partner in Governor Tim Walz. 

I love this guy. Tim’s the kind of person who  should  be in politics – somebody who was born in a small town, served his country, taught kids, coached football, and took care of his neighbors. He knows who he is and what’s important. You can tell those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from some consultant, they come from his closet, and they’ve been through some stuff. 

Together, Kamala and Tim have kept faith with America’s central story – a story that says we’re all created equal, that everyone deserves a chance, and that, even when we don’t agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other. 

That’s Kamala’s vision. That’s Tim’s vision. That’s the Democratic Party’s vision. And our job over the next eleven weeks is to convince as many people as possible to vote for that vision. 

It won’t be easy. The other side knows it’s easier to play on people’s fears and cynicism. They’ll tell you that government is corrupt; that sacrifice and generosity are for suckers; and that since the game is rigged, it’s ok to take what you want and look after your own. 

That’s the easy path. We have a different task. Our job is to convince people that democracy can actually deliver. And we can’t just point to what we’ve already accomplished or only rely on the ideas of the past. We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today. 

Kamala understands this. She knows, for example, that if we want to make it easier for more young people to buy a home, we need to build more units, and clear away some of the outdated laws and regulations that have made it harder to build homes for working people in this country. And she’s put out a bold new plan to do just that.  

On health care, we should all be proud of the enormous progress we’ve made through the Affordable Care Act – providing millions of people access to affordable coverage and protecting millions more from unscrupulous insurance practices. But Kamala knows we can’t stop there, which is why she’ll keep working to limit out of pocket costs.

Kamala knows that if we want to help people get ahead, we need to put a college degree within reach of more Americans. But college shouldn’t be the only ticket to the middle class. We need to follow the lead of governors like Tim Walz who’ve said that if you’ve got the skills and the drive, you shouldn’t need a degree to work for state government. And in this new economy, we need a president who actually cares about the millions of people all across this country who wake up every day to do the essential, often thankless work to care for our sick and clean our streets and deliver our packages – and stand up for their right to bargain for better wages and working conditions.

Kamala will be that president.

A Harris-Walz administration can help us move past some of the tired old debates that keep stifling progress, because at their core, Kamala and Tim understand that when  everybody  gets a fair shot, we’re  all  better off. They understand that when every child gets a good education, the whole economy gets stronger; that when women are paid the same as men, all families benefit. We can secure our border without tearing kids away from their parents, just like we can keep our streets safe while also building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Donald Trump and his well-heeled donors don’t see the world that way. For them, one group’s gain is another group’s loss. For them, freedom means that the powerful can do what they please, whether its fire workers trying to organize a union or poison our rivers or avoid paying taxes like everybody else has to do.

We have a broader idea of freedom. We believe in the freedom to provide for your family if you’re willing to work; the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and send your kids to school without worrying if they’ll come home. We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own life – how we worship, what our family looks like, how many kids we have, who we marry. And we believe that freedom requires us to recognize that  other  people have the freedom to make choices that are different than ours.

That’s the America Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in. An America where “We the People” includes everyone. Because that’s the only way this American experiment works. And despite what our politics might suggest, I think most Americans understand that. Democracy isn’t just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws. It’s the values we live by, and the way we treat each other – including those who don’t look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do.

That sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message. Our politics has become so polarized these days that all of us, across the political spectrum, seem quick to assume the worst in others unless they agree with us on every single issue. We start thinking that the only way to win is to scold and shame and out yell the other side. And after a while, regular folks just tune out, or don’t bother to vote at all.

That approach may work for the politicians who just want attention and thrive on division. But it won’t work for us. To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people’s lives, we need to remember that we’ve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices; and that if we want to win over those who aren’t yet ready to support our candidate, we need to listen to their concerns – and maybe learn something in the process.

After all, if a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don’t automatically assume they’re bad people. We recognize the world is moving fast, and that they need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up. Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us. 

That’s how we can build a true Democratic majority. And by the way, that doesn’t just matter to people in this country. The rest of the world is watching to see if we can actually pull it off. 

No nation, no society, has ever tried to build a democracy as big and diverse as ours before – one where our allegiances and our community are defined not by race or blood, but by a common creed. That’s why when we uphold our values, the world’s a little brighter. When we don’t, the world’s a little dimmer, dictators and autocrats feel emboldened, and over time we become less safe. We shouldn’t be the world’s policeman, and we can’t eradicate every cruelty and injustice in the world. But America can be, must be, a force for good – discouraging conflict, fighting disease, promoting human rights, protecting the planet from climate change, defending freedom. That’s what Kamala Harris believes – and so do most Americans.

I know these ideas can feel pretty naïve right now. We live in a time of such confusion and rancor, with a culture that puts a premium on things that don’t last – money, fame, status, likes. We chase the approval of strangers on our phones; we build all manner of walls and fences around ourselves and then wonder why we feel so alone. We don’t trust each other as much because we don’t take the time know each other – and in that space between us, politicians and algorithms teach us to caricature each other and troll each other and fear each other.

But here’s the good news. All across America, in big cities and small towns, away from all the noise, the ties that bind us together are still there. We still coach Little League and look out for our elderly neighbors. We still feed the hungry, in churches and mosques and synagogues, and share the same pride when our Olympic athletes compete for the gold. Because the vast majority of us don’t want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to  be  better. And the joy and excitement we’re seeing around this campaign tells us we’re not alone.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this these past few months because, as Michelle mentioned, this summer we lost her mom.

I don’t know that anybody has ever loved their mother-in-law any more than I loved mine. Mostly it’s because she was funny and wise and maybe the least pretentious person I knew. That and she always defended me with Michelle when I messed up.

But I also think one of the reasons we became so close was she reminded me of my grandmother, the woman who raised me as a child. On the surface, the two of them didn’t have a lot in common – one was a Black woman from Chicago, the other a white woman born in a tiny town called Peru, Kansas. And yet, they shared a basic outlook on life – strong, smart, resourceful women, full of common sense, who, regardless of the barriers they encountered, went about their business without fuss or complaint and provided an unshakable foundation of love for their children and grandchildren.

In that sense, they both represented an entire generation of working people who, through war and depression, discrimination and limited opportunity, helped build this country. Many of them toiled every day at jobs that were often too small for them and willingly went without just to give their children something better. But they knew what was true and what mattered. Things like honesty and integrity, kindness and hard work. They weren’t impressed with braggarts or bullies, and they didn’t spend a lot of time obsessing about what they didn’t have. Instead, they found pleasure in simple things – a card game with friends, a good meal and laughter around the kitchen table, helping others and seeing their children do things and go places that they would have never imagined for themselves.

Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican or somewhere in between, we’ve all had people like that in our lives. People like Kamala’s parents, who crossed oceans because they believed in the promise of America. People like Tim’s parents, who taught him about the importance of service. Good, hardworking people who weren’t famous or powerful, but who managed, in countless ways, to leave this country a little better than they found it.

As much as any policy or program, I believe that’s what we yearn for – a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other. A restoration of what Lincoln called, on the eve of civil war, “our bonds of affection.” An America that taps what he called “the better angels of our nature.” That’s what this election is about. And I believe that’s why, if we each do our part over the next 77 days – if we knock on doors and make phone calls and talk to our friends and listen to our neighbors – if we work like we’ve never worked before – we will elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States, and Tim Walz as the next Vice President of the United States. We’ll elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking America we believe in. And together, we too will build a country that is more secure and more just, more equal and more free.

So let’s get to work. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

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Milestone Documents

President George Washington's First Inaugural Speech (1789)

Citation: George Washington's First Inaugural Address; 4/30/1789; (SEN 1A-E1); Presidential Messages, 1789 - 1875; Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46; National Archives Building, Washington, DC.

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Although not required by the Constitution, George Washington presented the first Presidential inaugural address on April 30, 1789.

On April 16, 1789, two days after receiving official notification of his election, George Washington left his home on the Potomac for New York. Accompanied by Charles Thompson, his official escort, and Col. David Humphreys, his aide, he traveled through Alexandria, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, Princeton, New Brunswick, and Bridgetown (now Rahway, NJ).

At these and other places along his route, the artillery roared a salute of honor and the citizens and officials presented him with marks of affection and honor, so that his trip became a triumphal procession. On April 23, he crossed the bay from Bridgetown to New York City in a magnificent barge built especially for the occasion.

Lacking precedents to guide them in their preparations for the first Presidential inaugural, Congress appointed a joint committee to consider the time, place, and manner in which to administer to the President the oath of office required by the Constitution. Certain difficulties in planning and arrangements arose from the fact that Congress was meeting in New York’s former City Hall, rechristened Federal Hall, which was in process of renovation under the direction of Pierre L’Enfant.

On April 25, Congress adopted the joint committee’s recommendation that the inaugural ceremonies be held the following Thursday, April 30, and that the oath of office be administered to the President in the Representatives’ Chamber. The final report of the committee slightly revised this plan with its recommendation that the oath be administered in the outer gallery adjoining the Senate Chamber, “to the end that the Oath of Office may be administered to the President in the most public manner, and that the greatest number of people of the United States, and without distinction, may witness the solemnity.”

On inauguration day, the city was crowded with townspeople and visitors. At half past noon, Washington rode alone in the state coach from his quarters in Franklin Square to Federal Hall on the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets. Troops of the city, members of Congress appointed to escort the President, and heads of executive departments of the government under the Confederation preceded the President’s coach, while to the rear followed ministers of foreign countries and local citizenry.

At Federal Hall, Vice President John Adams, the Senate, and the House of Representatives awaited the President’s arrival in the Senate Chamber. After being received by Congress, Washington stepped from the chamber onto the balcony, where he was followed by the Senators and Representatives.

Before the assembled crowd of spectators, Robert Livingston, Chancellor of the State of New York, administered the oath of office prescribed by the Constitution: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” After repeating this oath, Washington kissed the Bible held for him by the Chancellor, who called out, “Long live George Washington, President of the United States,” and a salvo of 13 cannons was discharged.

Except for taking the oath, the law required no further inaugural ceremonies. But, upon reentering the Senate Chamber, the President read the address that is featured here. After this address, he and the members of Congress proceeded to St. Paul’s Church for divine service. A brilliant fireworks display in the evening ended the official program for this historic day.

Teach with this document.

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Fellow-Citizens of the Senate and of the House of Representatives:

Among the vicissitudes incident to life no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the 14th day of the present month. On the one hand, I was summoned by my Country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love, from a retreat which I had chosen with the fondest predilection, and, in my flattering hopes, with an immutable decision, as the asylum of my declining years--a retreat which was rendered every day more necessary as well as more dear to me by the addition of habit to inclination, and of frequent interruptions in my health to the gradual waste committed on it by time. On the other hand, the magnitude and difficulty of the trust to which the voice of my country called me, being sufficient to awaken in the wisest and most experienced of her citizens a distrustful scrutiny into his qualifications, could not but overwhelm with despondence one who (inheriting inferior endowments from nature and unpracticed in the duties of civil administration) ought to be peculiarly conscious of his own deficiencies. In this conflict of emotions all I dare aver is that it has been my faithful study to collect my duty from a just appreciation of every circumstance by which it might be affected. All I dare hope is that if, in executing this task, I have been too much swayed by a grateful remembrance of former instances, or by an affectionate sensibility to this transcendent proof of the confidence of my fellow-citizens, and have thence too little consulted my incapacity as well as disinclination for the weighty and untried cares before me, my error will be palliated by the motives which mislead me, and its consequences be judged by my country with some share of the partiality in which they originated.

Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow- citizens at large less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their united government the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me, I trust, in thinking that there are none under the influence of which the proceedings of a new and free government can more auspiciously commence.

By the article establishing the executive department it is made the duty of the President "to recommend to your consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." The circumstances under which I now meet you will acquit me from entering into that subject further than to refer to the great constitutional charter under which you are assembled, and which, in defining your powers, designates the objects to which your attention is to be given. It will be more consistent with those circumstances, and far more congenial with the feelings which actuate me, to substitute, in place of a recommendation of particular measures, the tribute that is due to the talents, the rectitude, and the patriotism which adorn the characters selected to devise and adopt them. In these honorable qualifications I behold the surest pledges that as on one side no local prejudices or attachments, no separate views nor party animosities, will misdirect the comprehensive and equal eye which ought to watch over this great assemblage of communities and interests, so, on another, that the foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality, and the preeminence of free government be exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its citizens and command the respect of the world. I dwell on this prospect with every satisfaction which an ardent love for my country can inspire, since there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained; and since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.

Besides the ordinary objects submitted to your care, it will remain with your judgment to decide how far an exercise of the occasional power delegated by the fifth article of the Constitution is rendered expedient at the present juncture by the nature of objections which have been urged against the system, or by the degree of inquietude which has given birth to them. Instead of undertaking particular recommendations on this subject, in which I could be guided by no lights derived from official opportunities, I shall again give way to my entire confidence in your discernment and pursuit of the public good; for I assure myself that whilst you carefully avoid every alteration which might endanger the benefits of an united and effective government, or which ought to await the future lessons of experience, a reverence for the characteristic rights of freemen and a regard for the public harmony will sufficiently influence your deliberations on the question how far the former can be impregnably fortified or the latter be safely and advantageously promoted.

To the preceding observations I have one to add, which will be most properly addressed to the House of Representatives. It concerns myself, and will therefore be as brief as possible. When I was first honored with a call into the service of my country, then on the eve of an arduous struggle for its liberties, the light in which I contemplated my duty required that I should renounce every pecuniary compensation. From this resolution I have in no instance departed; and being still under the impressions which produced it, I must decline as inapplicable to myself any share in the personal emoluments which may be indispensably included in a permanent provision for the executive department, and must accordingly pray that the pecuniary estimates for the station in which I am placed may during my continuance in it be limited to such actual expenditures as the public good may be thought to require.

Having thus imparted to you my sentiments as they have been awakened by the occasion which brings us together, I shall take my present leave; but not without resorting once more to the benign Parent of the Human Race in humble supplication that, since He has been pleased to favor the American people with opportunities for deliberating in perfect tranquility, and dispositions for deciding with unparalleled unanimity on a form of government for the security of their union and the advancement of their happiness, so His divine blessing may be equally conspicuous in the enlarged views, the temperate consultations, and the wise measures on which the success of this Government must depend.

Read and watch: former President Bill Clinton's full speech to the Democratic National Convention

Bill clinton made the case for democrats' handling of the economy and jobs, published august 21, 2024 • updated on august 21, 2024 at 10:35 pm.

Editor's note: The text of the speech below is as prepared. His actual delivery may have varied.

Good evening. After the last two days, am I proud to be a Democrat! I’m especially proud of President Biden, who came to office during the pandemic and an economic crash. He healed us and got us back to work. He strengthened our alliances for freedom and security.

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Perhaps the greatest test of anyone in power is whether they’re willing to relinquish it. George Washington knew that and it enhanced his legacy. The same is now true for Joe Biden. Mr. President, thank you for your courage, compassion, and class; for your service and your sacrifice. You have not only kept the faith—you are spreading the faith.

Now, let’s cut to the chase: The stakes are too high and I’m too old to gild the lily. I actually turned 78 two days ago. And I’m still not quite as old as Donald Trump. Last night we nominated Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to be the next president and vice president. Two leaders with improbable, all-American life stories that could only happen here, with careers starting in community courtrooms and classrooms. Two leaders who have spent a lifetime getting the job done.

A presidential election is a job interview for the greatest job in the world. What questions will you ask—because you’re doing the hiring. Will a president take us forward or backward? Will she give our kids a brighter future? Will she make us more united or more divided? Will we all feel heard, seen, and valued, regardless of who we voted for?

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We, the people, are the employers, charged by our Constitution to hire a president to do a job that we get to redefine every four years. In effect, the American people say, “Here are our problems; solve them. Here are our opportunities; seize them. Here are our fears; ease them. Here are our dreams; help us make them come true.” A president can answer that call by leading us to work together—or dodging what needs to be done by dividing, distracting, and deceiving us.

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In 2024, we have a clear choice: “We the People” versus “me, myself, and I.” I know which one I like better for our country. Kamala Harris will solve problems, seize opportunities, ease our fears, and make sure that every American can chase their dreams.

When she was a student, she worked at McDonald’s. She greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, “How can I help you?” And now, at the pinnacle of power, she’s still asking “How can I help you?” I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House because, at last, she’ll break my record as the president who has spent the most time at McDonald’s.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump—a paragon of consistency—is still dividing, blaming, and belittling. He creates and curates chaos. It’s showmanship, but it’s not leadership. Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for the chance the American people gave me to be one of the 45 people who have held the job. Even on the bad days, you can still make something good happen.

Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race with the vision, the experience, the temperament, the will, and—yes—the sheer joy to do that on good and bad days. To be our voice.

Now, how does Donald Trump use his voice? Mostly to talk about himself—his vengeance, vendettas, complaints, conspiracies. The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies—count the I’s. He’s like the tenor warming up before the opera: me, me, me, me. Kamala Harris is focused on you.

Do you want to build a strong economy from the bottom up and the middle out? Or do you want to spend the next four years talking about crowd sizes? Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs—about 50 million under Democrats, 1 million under Republicans. 50 to 1! Coach Walz will tell ya, if you’re up 50 to 1—you’re winning!

Do you want more affordable housing, affordable health care, and affordable child care? Do you want more financing for small businesses? Do you want to strengthen our alliances and stand up for freedom and democracy around the world? Or a tribute to the “late great” Hannibal Lecter? Do you want to save our country and our world from the calamities of climate change? Or obsess on the vital debate between getting eaten by sharks or electrocuted? President Obama once famously called me the Explainer in Chief, but folks—but I can’t even.

I want an America that’s more joyful, inclusive, and future-focused. Where we weather the storms and earn the benefits together. That’s the America Kamala Harris will lead. She’s already made her first presidential decision, picking a running mate. And boy, did she knock it out of the park. She called Tim Walz for duty one more time. He’s the real deal with a record—as a coach, as a teacher, as a soldier, as a congressman, and as a great governor—to prove it. And he reminds us of home.

Kamala Harris has fought for kids that were left out and left behind. She’s taken on gangs trafficking across the border, and fought to protect the rights of homeowners. She’s been our leader in the fight for reproductive freedom, and advanced America’s interests and values all over the world. She’ll work to make sure that no American working full-time has to live in poverty and that homeownership is an achievable dream, not a privilege. She’ll protect your right to vote, including your right to vote for someone else.

For 250 years, the forces of division have tried to halt the march of progress in this beautiful experiment of ours. In the face of stiff, often violent opposition, we have kept hope alive and kept marching forward together.

Kamala Harris’s story is the story of an America we all know is possible. Where “We the People” continually strive to make our union more perfect. One where a daughter of the Bay and a son of the Heartland can be the president and vice president.

We should not despair about America’s divisions, because we move from happiness to heartbreak, from building and breaking to rebuilding and making. We do the best we can. Until, in God’s good time, there comes a new generation to pick up where we left off. That’s the opportunity we’re given now. To pick an extraordinary woman, clearly up to the job, who’ll bring us together and move us forward.

So, talk to your neighbors. Meet people where they are. Don’t demean them. Ask them for their help. And ask them, as Kamala still does, “How can I help you?” We’ve got a lot of hay in the barn—we just need to saddle up and ride with strength through November. If America hires Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, we will never regret it.

Take it from the Man from Hope, Kamala Harris is the woman from joy. And we will make a joyful noise on Election Day if you do your part. Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.

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Former President Trump Speaks in Potterville, Michigan About the Economy

2024 Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump delivered remarks on the U.S. economy at a steel plant in Potterville, Mi… read more

2024 Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump delivered remarks on the U.S. economy at a steel plant in Potterville, Michigan. He talked about protecting in vitro fertilization (IVF) reproductive treatments, promising to have the government of insurance pay for them because “we want more babies.” He also pledged to “allow new parents to deduct major newborn expenses from their taxes.” Joining former President Trump onstage for brief remarks was the founder of Auto Workers for Trump 2024, Brian Pannebecker . close

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Trump calls Elon Musk by wrong name as his biographer says the candidate is 'hyper-aware' voters are doubting his mental acuity

• Donald Trump mistakenly called Elon Musk by the wrong name at a rally on Saturday.
• The former president referred to the SpaceX CEO as "Leon" during a speech in Wisconsin.
• Trump's former biographer said he was "hyper-aware" of people catching his apparent mental lapses.

Former president Donald Trump mistakenly called Elon Musk by the wrong name at a rally in Wisconsin on Saturday.

The former president referred to Musk as "Leon" while praising the SpaceX CEO over his plan to bring two stranded astronauts back from the International Space Station.

"Boeing had a little hard time, so they are going to save — Leon's going to send up a rocket," Trump said. "He looks forward to it. That's all he thinks about is things like that."

Trump says “Leon” Musk is going to have to send a rocket pic.twitter.com/Z4t8PsyJjt — Acyn (@Acyn) September 7, 2024

Musk, who gave Trump his "full endorsement" after the assassination attempt in July, has found a place on Trump's shortlist for a government advisor position should he take back the White House. The details remain murky, but the billionaire is enthusiastic about it.

Musk — whose companies such as SpaceX and Starlink have benefited from government contracts — has embraced the idea of a government role. He wrote on X that he is "willing to serve" and suggested he lead a so-called "Department of Government Efficiency" to cut down on "waste and needless regulation in government."

Trump's slip up over Musk's name comes after a former Trump biographer told the Guardian that the ex-president was "hyper-aware" that people were picking up on his mental slips.

Timothy O'Brien, the author of "TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald," spoke to the newspaper about Trump's rambling speeches and mental agility, which he said were coming under increasing scrutiny.

"The reason he's now offering these convoluted explanations of his speech patterns in his public appearances is because he's hyper-aware that people have noted that he's making even less sense than he used to," O'Brien said.

"What we're seeing now is a reflection of someone who's very troubled and very desperate," he added.

O'Brien was referring to Trump's response to criticism of his meandering speeches, which he said were part of a brilliant strategy he called "the weave."

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"I do the weave. You know what the weave is? I'll talk about, like, nine different things that they all come back brilliantly together. And it's like, and friends of mine that are like English professors, they say: 'It's the most brilliant thing I've ever seen,'" he told a crowd in Pennsylvania.

"But the fake news, you know what they say, 'He rambled.' That's not rambling. What you do is you get off a subject, mention another little titbit, then you get back on to the subject, and you go through this and you do it for two hours, and you don't even mispronounce one word," he added.

The 2024 election race has seen both Trump's and President Joe Biden's mental fitness come under intense examination.

While Trump has been challenged over apparent errors such as repeatedly mixing up "Obama" and "Biden" during campaign speeches — something he has claimed he did on purpose — widespread concern following Biden's own mental lapses likely played a part in his decision to drop out of the presidential race .

In the run-up to that historic decision, Trump had sought to capitalize on any mistakes Biden made, and the president's struggles in a disastrous TV debate performance were seen by many as the final nail in the coffin.

At one point in the debate, after Biden seemed to stumble over his words, Trump said calmly: "I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either."

But with Vice President Kamala Harris now running against him, Trump faces a much stiffer rhetorical challenge, with his speeches seeming all the more chaotic. The two candidates will hold their first debate on Tuesday.

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Trump suggests tariffs can help solve rising child care costs in a major economic speech

Former President Donald Trump Former tells business leaders he’ll lead a “national economic renaissance” by slashing regulations to boost energy production, drastically cutting government spending and reducing taxes for companies that produce in the US.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump answers questions during a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump responds to questions during a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign stop at the Throwback Brewery, in North Hampton, N.H., Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

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NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump suggested to business leaders Thursday that his plans to increase tariffs on foreign imports would solve seemingly unrelated challenges such as the rising cost of child care in the U.S.

The GOP presidential nominee promised to lead what he called a “national economic renaissance” by increasing tariffs, slashing regulations to boost energy production and drastically cutting government spending as well as corporate taxes for companies that produce in the U.S.

Trump was asked at his appearance before the Economic Club of New York about his plans to drive down child care costs to help more women join the workforce.

“Child care is child care, it’s something you have to have in this country. You have to have it,” he said. Then, he said his plans to tax imports from foreign nations at higher levels would “take care” of such problems.

“We’re going to be taking in trillions of dollars, and as much as child care is talked about as being expensive, it’s — relatively speaking — not very expensive, compared to the kind of numbers we’ll be taking in,” he said.

Trump has embraced tariffs as he appeals to working-class voters who oppose free-trade deals and the outsourcing of factories and jobs. But in his speech Thursday and his economic plans as a whole, Trump has made a broader — to some, implausible — promise on tariffs: that they can raise trillions of dollars to fund his agenda without those costs being passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices.

His campaign attacks Democratic nominee Kamala Harris ’ proposals to increase corporate tax rates by saying they would ultimately be borne by workers in the form of fewer jobs and lower incomes. Yet taxes on foreign imports would have a similar effect with businesses and consumers having to absorb those costs in the form of higher prices.

The United States had $3.8 trillion worth of imports last year, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Trump in the past has talked about universal tariffs of at least 10%, if not higher, though he has not spelled out details about how these taxes would be implemented.

Kimberly Clausing, an economist at the University of California, Los Angeles, has repeatedly warned in economic analyses about the likely damage to people’s finances from Trump’s tariffs. She noted that Trump wants tariffs to pay for everything, even though they can’t.

“I believe Trump has already spent this revenue, to pay for his tax cuts (which it doesn’t), or to perhaps end the income tax (which it cannot),” she said in an email. “It is unclear how there would be any revenues left over to fund child care.”

Trump was asked to talk about child care

Child care is unaffordable for many Americans and financially precarious for many day care operators and their employees. Democrats in Congress have long argued the child care industry is in crisis and requires a drastic increase in federal aid — and some Republicans have joined them. Trump pointed to his tariff ideas as well as efforts he announced to reduce what he described as “waste and fraud.”

“I want to stay with child care, but those numbers are small relative to the kind of economic numbers that I’m talking about, including growth, but growth also headed up by what the plan is that I just told you about,” he said.

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Trump’s running mate JD Vance was also asked about proposals to lower day care costs earlier this week, and he suggested making it easier for families to keep the kids at home with a grandparent or another relative.

“Make it so that, maybe like grandma or grandpa wants to help out a little bit more,” he said. “If that happens, you relieve some of the pressure on all the resources that we are spending on day care.”

Vance also suggested training more people to work in day cares, and said some states required what he called “ridiculous certification that has nothing to do with taking care of kids.”

Trump laid out a series of economic proposals

In his speech, Trump said he would immediately issue “a national emergency declaration” to achieve a massive increase in the domestic energy supply and eliminate 10 current regulations for every new regulation the government adopts. He said Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has agreed to head a commission to perform a financial audit of the federal government that would save trillions of dollars.

“My plan will rapidly defeat inflation, quickly bring down prices and reignite explosive economic growth,” Trump claimed.

Trump has previously floated the idea of chopping the corporate tax rate to 15%, but on Thursday clarified that would be solely for companies that produce in the U.S. The corporate rate had been 35% when he became president in 2017, and he later signed a bill lowering it.

Harris calls for raising the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%. Her policy proposals this week have been geared toward promoting more entrepreneurship, a bet that making it easier to start new companies will increase middle-class prosperity.

On Thursday, Trump attacked Harris’ proposals on banning price gouging and accused her of embracing Marxism and communism.

“She wants four more years to enforce the radical left agenda that poses a fundamental threat to the prosperity of every American family and America itself,” he said.

He also vowed to end what he called Harris’ “anti-energy crusade,” promising that energy prices would be cut in half, although energy prices are often driven by international fluctuations. He said an emergency declaration would help with rapid approvals for new drilling projects, pipelines, refineries, power plants and reactors, where local opposition is generally fierce.

And he also said he would ask Congress to pass legislation to ban the spending of taxpayer money on people who have entered the country illegally. He specifically said he would bar them from obtaining mortgages in California, targeting a bill passed in that state last week. Throughout his campaign, Trump has railed against the economic impact of the influx of migrants that have entered the country in recent years and their strain on some government services.

The Harris campaign issued a memo accusing Trump of wanting to hurt the middle class, arguing his ideas would expand the national debt and shrink economic growth and job creation.

“He wants our economy to serve billionaires and big corporations,” the campaign said in a statement.

Their dueling economic proposals are likely to be central to the upcoming presidential debate on Tuesday. Harris arrived Thursday in downtown Pittsburgh to devote the next several days to preparing for the debate. She intentionally picked a key part of the battleground state of Pennsylvania to hone her ideas ahead of their showdown.

Trump plans to rely heavily on tariffs

In June, the right-leaning Tax Foundation estimated that Trump’s proposed tariffs would amount to a $524 billion yearly tax hike that would shrink the economy and cost the equivalent of 684,000 jobs. After Trump floated tariffs as high as 20% in August, the Harris campaign seized on an analysis suggesting that figure would raise a typical family’s expenses by almost $4,000 annually.

The money raised by tariffs would not be enough to offset the cost of his various income tax cuts, including a plan to whittle the corporate rate to 15% from 21%. The Penn Wharton Budget Model put the price tag on that at $5.8 trillion over 10 years.

Economists have warned about Trump’s plans to impose tariffs that he says would return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. Some have said such taxes on imports could worsen inflation, though he is vowing to cut down costs. Inflation peaked in 2022 at 9.1% but has since eased to 2.9% as of last month.

“Some might say it’s economic nationalism. I call it common sense. I call it America First,” he said on Thursday.

Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Boak reported from Pittsburgh. Associated Press writers Moriah Balingit and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux in Washington contributed to this report.

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Remarks by President   Biden on the Continued Battle for the Soul of the   Nation

Independence National Historical Park Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

(September 1, 2022)

8:03 P.M. EDT   THE PRESIDENT:  My fellow Americans, please, if you have a seat, take it.  I speak to you tonight from sacred ground in America: Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.   This is where America made its Declaration of Independence to the world more than two centuries ago with an idea, unique among nations, that in America, we’re all created equal.   This is where the United States Constitution was written and debated.   This is where we set in motion the most extraordinary experiment of self-government the world has ever known with three simple words: “We, the People.”  “We, the People.”   These two documents and the ideas they embody — equality and democracy — are the rock upon which this nation is built.  They are how we became the greatest nation on Earth.  They are why, for more than two centuries, America has been a beacon to the world.   But as I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under assault.  We do ourselves no favor to pretend otherwise.   So tonight, I have come this place where it all began to speak as plainly as I can to the nation about the threats we face, about the power we have in our own hands to meet these threats, and about the incredible future that lies in front of us if only we choose it.   We must never forget: We, the people, are the true heirs of the American experiment that began more than two centuries ago.   We, the people, have burning inside each of us the flame of liberty that was lit here at Independence Hall — a flame that lit our way through abolition, the Civil War, Suffrage, the Great Depression, world wars, Civil Rights.   That sacred flame still burns now in our time as we build an America that is more prosperous, free, and just.   That is the work of my presidency, a mission I believe in with my whole soul.   But first, we must be honest with each other and with ourselves.    Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal.   Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.   Now, I want to be very clear — (applause) — very clear up front: Not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans.  Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology.   I know because I’ve been able to work with these mainstream Republicans.   But there is no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans, and that is a threat to this country.   These are hard things.    But I’m an American President — not the President of red America or blue America, but of all America.   And I believe it is my duty — my duty to level with you, to tell the truth no matter how difficult, no matter how painful.   And here, in my view, is what is true: MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution.  They do not believe in the rule of law.  They do not recognize the will of the people.    They refuse to accept the results of a free election.  And they’re working right now, as I speak, in state after state to give power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies, empowering election deniers to undermine democracy itself.   MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards — backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love.   They promote authoritarian leaders, and they fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country.   They look at the mob that stormed the United States Capitol on January 6th — brutally attacking law enforcement — not as insurrectionists who placed a dagger to the throat of our democracy, but they look at them as patriots.   And they see their MAGA failure to stop a peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election as preparation for the 2022 and 2024 elections.   They tried everything last time to nullify the votes of 81 million people.  This time, they’re determined to succeed in thwarting the will of the people.   That’s why respected conservatives, like Federal Circuit Court Judge Michael Luttig, has called Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans, quote, a “clear and present danger” to our democracy.   But while the threat to American democracy is real, I want to say as clearly as we can: We are not powerless in the face of these threats.  We are not bystanders in this ongoing attack on democracy.   There are far more Americans — far more Americans from every — from every background and belief who reject the extreme MAGA ideology than those that accept it.  (Applause.)   And, folks, it is within our power, it’s in our hands — yours and mine — to stop the assault on American democracy.   I believe America is at an inflection point — one of those moments that determine the shape of everything that’s to come after.   And now America must choose: to move forward or to move backwards?  To build the future or obsess about the past?  To be a nation of hope and unity and optimism, or a nation of fear, division, and of darkness?   MAGA Republicans have made their choice.  They embrace anger.  They thrive on chaos.  They live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies.   But together — together, we can choose a different path.  We can choose a better path.  Forward, to the future.  A future of possibility.  A future to build and dream and hope.   And we’re on that path, moving ahead.   I know this nation.  I know you, the American people.  I know your courage.  I know your hearts.  And I know our history.   This is a nation that honors our Constitution.  We do not reject it.  (Applause.)   This is a nation that believes in the rule of law.  We do not repudiate it.  (Applause.)   This is a nation that respects free and fair elections.  We honor the will of the people.  We do not deny it.  (Applause.)   And this is a nation that rejects violence as a political tool.  We do not encourage violence.   We are still an America that believes in honesty and decency and respect for others, patriotism, liberty, justice for all, hope, possibilities.    We are still, at our core, a democracy.  (Applause.) And yet history tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and a willingness to engage in political violence is fatal to democracy.   For a long time, we’ve told ourselves that American democracy is guaranteed, but it’s not.   We have to defend it, protect it, stand up for it — each and every one of us. That’s why tonight I’m asking our nation to come together, unite behind the single purpose of defending our democracy regardless of your ideology.  (Applause.) We’re all called, by duty and conscience, to confront extremists who will put their own pursuit of power above all else.    Democrats, independents, mainstream Republicans: We must be stronger, more determined, and more committed to saving American democracy than MAGA Republicans are to — to destroying American democracy.    We, the people, will not let anyone or anything tear us apart.  Today, there are dangers around us we cannot allow to prevail.   We hear — you’ve heard it — more and more talk about violence as an acceptable political tool in this country.  It’s not.  It can never be an acceptable tool.    So I want to say this plain and simple: There is no place for political violence in America.  Period.  None.  Ever.  (Applause.) We saw law enforcement brutally attacked on January the 6th.  We’ve seen election officials, poll workers — many of them volunteers of both parties — subjected to intimidation and death threats.  And — can you believe it? — FBI agents just doing their job as directed, facing threats to their own lives from their own fellow citizens.    On top of that, there are public figures — today, yesterday, and the day before — predicting and all but calling for mass violence and rioting in the streets. This is inflammatory.  It’s dangerous.  It’s against the rule of law.  And we, the people, must say: This is not who we are.  (Applause.)    Ladies and gentlemen, we can’t be pro-ex- — pro-ex- — pro-insurrectionist and pro-American.  They’re incompatible.  (Applause.) We can’t allow violence to be normalized in this country.  It’s wrong.  We each have to reject political violence with — with all the moral clarity and conviction this nation can muster.  Now.   We can’t let the integrity of our elections be undermined, for that is a path to chaos.    Look, I know poli- — politics can be fierce and mean and nasty in America.  I get it.  I believe in the give-and-take of politics, in disagreement and debate and dissent.   We’re a big, complicated country.  But democracy endures only if we, the people, respect the guardrails of the republic.  Only if we, the people, accept the results of free and fair elections.  (Applause.)  Only if we, the people, see politics not as total war but mediation of our differences.    Democracy cannot survive when one side believes there are only two outcomes to an election: either they win or they were cheated.  And that’s where MAGA Republicans are today.  (Applause.)   They don’t understand what every patriotic American knows: You can’t love your country only when you win.  (Applause.)  It’s fundamental.    American democracy only works only if we choose to respect the rule of law and the institutions that were set up in this chamber behind me, only if we respect our legitimate political differences.     I will not stand by and watch — I will not — the will of the American people be overturned by wild conspiracy theories and baseless, evidence-free claims of fraud.    I will not stand by and watch elections in this country stolen by people who simply refuse to accept that they lost.  (Applause.)    I will not stand by and watch the most fundamental freedom in this country — the freedom to vote and have your vote counted — and — be taken from you and the American people.  (Applause.)    Look, as your President, I will defend our democracy with every fiber of my being, and I’m asking every American to join me.  (Applause.)   (A protestor disruption can be heard.)   Throughout our history, America has often made the greatest progress coming out of some of our darkest moments, like you’re hearing in that bullhorn.    I believe we can and we must do that again, and we are.    MAGA Republicans look at America and see carnage and darkness and despair.  They spread fear and lies –- lies told for profit and power.    But I see a very different America — an America with an unlimited future, an America that is about to take off.  I hope you see it as well.  Just look around.   I believed we could lift America from the depths of COVID, so we passed the largest economic recovery package since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  And today, America’s economy is faster, stronger than any other advanced nation in the world.  (Applause.)  We have more to go.   I believed we could build a better America, so we passed the biggest infrastructure investment since President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  And we’ve now embarked on a decade of rebuilding the nation’s roads, bridges, highways, ports, water systems, high-speed Internet, railroads.  (Applause.)   I believed we could make America safer, so we passed the most significant gun safety law since President Clinton.  (Applause.)   I believed we could go from being the highest cost of prescriptions in the world to making prescription drugs and healthcare more affordable, so we passed the most significant healthcare reforms since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act.  (Applause.)   And I believed we could create — we could create a clean energy future and save the planet, so we passed the most important climate initiative ever, ever, ever.  (Applause.)   The cynics and the critics tell us nothing can get done, but they are wrong.  There is not a single thing America cannot do — not a single thing beyond our capacity if we do it together.   It’s never easy.  But we’re proving that in America, no matter how long the road, progress does come.  (Applause.)   Look, I know the last year — few years have been tough.  But today, COVID no longer controls our lives.  More Americans are working than ever.  Businesses are growing.  Our schools are open.  Millions of Americans have been lifted out of poverty.  Millions of veterans once exposed to toxic burn pits will now get what they deserve for their families and the compa- — compensation.  (Applause.)    American manufacturing has come alive across the Heartland, and the future will be made in America — (applause) — no matter what the white supremacists and the extremists say.    I made a bet on you, the American people, and that bet is paying off.  Proving that from darkness — the darkness of Charlottesville, of COVID, of gun violence, of insurrection — we can see the light.  Light is now visible.  (Applause.)   Light that will guide us forward not only in words, but in actions — actions for you, for your children, for your grandchildren, for America.   Even in this moment, with all the challenges we face, I give you my word as a Biden: I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s future.  Not because of me, but because of who you are.   We’re going to end cancer as we know it.  Mark my words.  (Applause.)   We are going to create millions of new jobs in a clean energy economy.   We’re going to think big.  We’re going to make the 21st century another American century because the world needs us to.  (Applause.)   That’s where we need to focus our energy — not in the past, not on divisive culture wars, not on the politics of grievance, but on a future we can build together.   The MAGA Republicans believe that for them to succeed, everyone else has to fail.  They believe America — not like I believe about America.    I believe America is big enough for all of us to succeed, and that is the nation we’re building: a nation where no one is left behind.   I ran for President because I believed we were in a battle for the soul of this nation.  I still believe that to be true.  I believe the soul is the breath, the life, and the essence of who we are.  The soul is what makes us “us.”   The soul of America is defined by the sacred proposition that all are created equal in the image of God.  That all are entitled to be treated with decency, dignity, and respect.  That all deserve justice and a shot at lives of prosperity and consequence.  And that democracy — democracy must be defended, for democracy makes all these things possible.  (Applause.)  Folks, and it’s up to us.   Democracy begins and will be preserved in we, the people’s, habits of heart, in our character: optimism that is tested yet endures, courage that digs deep when we need it, empathy that fuels democracy, the willingness to see each other not as enemies but as fellow Americans. Look, our democracy is imperfect.  It always has been.   Notwithstanding those folks you hear on the other side there.  They’re entitled to be outrageous.  This is a democracy.  But history and common sense — (applause) — good manners is nothing they’ve ever suffered from.    But history and common sense tell us that opportunity, liberty, and justice for all are most likely to come to pass in a democracy.   We have never fully realized the aspirations of our founding, but every generation has opened those doors a little wider to include more people who have been excluded before.   My fellow Americans, America is an idea — the most powerful idea in the history of the world.  And it beats in the hearts of the people of this country.  It beats in all of our hearts.  It unites America.  It is the American creed.   The idea that America guarantees that everyone be treated with dignity.  It gives hate no safe harbor.  It installs in everyone the belief that no matter where you start in life, there’s nothing you can’t achieve.   That’s who we are.  That’s what we stand for.  That’s what we believe.  And that is precisely what we are doing: opening doors, creating new possibilities, focusing on the future.  And we’re only just beginning.  (Applause.)   Our task is to make our nation free and fair, just and strong, noble and whole.   And this work is the work of democracy — the work of this generation.  It is the work of our time, for all time.   We can’t afford to have — leave anyone on the sidelines.  We need everyone to do their part.  So speak up.  Speak out.  Get engaged.  Vote, vote, vote.  (Applause.) And if we all do our duty — if we do our duty in 2022 and beyond, then ages still to come will say we — all of us here — we kept the faith.  We preserved democracy.  (Applause.)  We heeded our wor- — we — we heeded not our worst instincts but our better angels.  And we proved that, for all its imperfections, America is still the beacon to the world, an ideal to be realized, a promise to be kept.   There is nothing more important, nothing more sacred, nothing more American.  That’s our soul.  That’s who we truly are.  And that’s who must — we must always be.   And I have no doubt — none –– that this is who we will be and that we’ll come together as a nation.  That we’ll secure our democracy.  That for the next 200 years, we’ll have what we had the past 200 years: the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.    We just need to remember who we are.  We are the United States of America.  The United States of America.  (Applause.)   And may God protect our nation.  And may God protect all those who stand watch over our democracy.  God bless you all.  (Applause.)  Democracy.  Thank you.  (Applause.) 8:27 P.M. EDT

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