Biden calls for unity in July 4 speech while acknowledging the country’s sour mood: NPR
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President Biden said the United States would persevere through “disturbing” times during his remarks at a July 4 barbecue with military families at the White House.
“The economy is growing, but not without problems,” he said. “In recent days, there is reason to believe that this country is backward, freedoms are diminished, rights that we thought were protected are no longer available.”
The holiday comes just over a week after the US Supreme Court reverse Roe v. Wadeoverturning the constitutional right to abortion was once maintained for nearly half a century.
“I know it can be exhausting and unsettling,” Biden said. “But tonight, I want you to know that we’re going to get through all of this.”
He said the United States has always been “a work in progress.”
“After we’ve taken giant steps forward, we’ve taken a few steps back,” the president said. “And after working hard to lay the foundations for a better future, the worst of our past came out and pulled us back in time.”
But Biden said he remains optimistic about the future of the country, stressing that Americans “are more united than we are divided.”
Biden is facing a less optimistic country at the moment. A recent AP/NORC poll found that 85% of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction. The president’s approval rating among voters stands near the lowest of his presidency, with 40% approving of Biden’s most recent job performance. Poll by NPR / PBS NewsHour / Maristdespite the Democrats winning the support of voters in the same poll.
“We’ve been tested before, just as we’re being tested today,” Biden said in his July 4 remarks. “But we have never failed, because we have never strayed from the core beliefs and promises that define this nation.”
Bide also spoke of “principled patriotism”, saying: “No one, no partisan, no interest can set a precedent for the American project.”
These remarks show the test of American democracy on January 6, 2021, when a violent mob stormed the United States Capitol with the aim of preventing Congress from certifying the results of the election. presidential election 2020.
House Committee investigate the events leading up to that attack continue to hold televised hearings.
Biden called on all Americans to commit to ensuring that “America will forever be a place marked not by a thirst for power at any cost but by a covenant of trust, hope, and promise. “