U.S. President Joe Biden spoke at Valley Forge National Historical Park Thursday, an 1800’s site of the Revolutionary War, with a focus on describing Donald Trump’s presidency as an ongoing threat to democracy.
In his speech, Biden claimed Trump’s behavior— both in office and since his departure— have undermined the former President’s legacy as one of the nations most sacred institutions.
“I’m here to tell you this: The peak of patriotic devotion is not a surrender to conspiracy theories, it’s not silence in the face of racism, it’s not looting or vandalism, it’s not shrieking in the face of your opponents”, Biden said at the speech.
He added, “Real patriotism is demanding clarity from President Trump or anyone who carries his banner in the future. Demand a commitment to truth, not lies; to unity, not division; to our common humanity, not anarchy; to our Constitutional values, not mob rule.”
Biden then called out Trump and his supporters for “torn in two the fabric of the American story” and inducing “incalculable damage” to the country.
He argued, “The hardest thing for a president to do is to bridge the divide between our better angels and our darkest impulses. We have to strive for the former. Otherwise, we make way for the latter.”
The President then noted the uphill battle against Trump and his legacy— one he hopes to meet with the help of Americans who are fighting for a healthy and vibrant democracy.
“We live in a better, and brighter, more righteous, and just world, than the one we are living in right now,” Biden concluded. “America is capable of so much more than this false vision on which President Trump has focused his attention. We can do better, and together, we will.”
Biden’s speech likely served to both vindicate and inspire those across the country who have long sought to repudiate Trump. The caliber of Biden’s argument and the personal sentimentality of its delivery suggested an eagerness to restore the foundation of the nation’s social contract. It remains to be seen how successful his approach will be.
