Typically, these events are attended by up to 2,000 people, but now there were just over 200.
The presidential speech was timed to coincide with the first hundred days at the White House. Biden called on Congress to pass a $2 trillion “infrastructure” reform project. He also promised to raise taxes on businesses and the wealthy middle class, which will have to pay for it.
Biden’s remark about wealthy Americans caused a strong resonance – they say, you did not build our country. He expressed support for workers and trade unions, though he did not mention the destruction of jobs in the oil industry in his first month as president.
A large part of the speech was devoted to anti-Chinese rhetoric. Biden announced a military build-up in Southeast Asia and the fight against the leakage of jobs and patents to China. At the same time, Biden promised not to aggravate the crisis in relations with Russia.
Many words were said in support of representatives of minorities, victims of police violence and illegal migrants. However, for the entire time of his speech, he did not even mention the largest migration crisis in 15 years, which is unfolding on the US border.
An alternate Republican address to Biden was delivered by Tim Scott, a black senator from South Carolina. The progressive public rushed to call him “Uncle Tim” – because he dared to go against the liberal agenda.
Overall, Biden’s speech was a mixture of traditional democratic theses and heightened economic populism. The leftward direction of liberal discourse is the expected consequence of the crisis of ideas, the rise of anti-government sentiments, and the polarization of American society.
Malek Dudakov