Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) mentioned statements in President Biden’s farewell speech got here a lot too late in a Thursday assertion, elevating query with the commander in chief’s parting remarks.
“Now he tells us. Biden speaks out against dark money, for climate action, and for SCOTUS term limits. I pressed four years for this speech,” Whitehouse posted on social platform X.
“That was a great speech. Had that speech launched the reelection campaign, we’d have won. Had that speech launched his presidency, we’d have saved America. Now we fight on,” he wrote in a subsequent put up.
Whitehouse’s feedback criticizing Biden emphasize get together sentiments after Democrats not solely misplaced the White Home but additionally the bulk within the Senate, delivering the GOP a trifecta. Some have criticized Biden for not suspending his presidential marketing campaign early sufficient, which resulted in a stunted bid for the presidency by Vice President Harris.
All through his time in workplace, Biden proposed a number of of the concepts talked about by Whitehouse, akin to pushing for Supreme Court docket time period limits, however by no means candidly revealed these wishes in a compact speech, such because the one delivered Wednesday.
The overarching theme of the outgoing president’s ultimate tackle centered on the consolidation of energy, warning of oligarchs as President-elect Trump enters the White Home.
“In a democracy, there’s another danger to the concentration of power and wealth. It erodes a sense of unity and common purpose. It causes distrust and division,” he said. “Participating in our democracy becomes exhausting and even disillusioning, and people don’t feel like they have a fair shot.”
“But we have to stay engaged in the process,” he continued.