NewsBiden Targets Trump, Calls to Protect Democracy in Union Address
Biden Targets Trump, Calls to Protect Democracy in Union Address
6:27 AM EST, March 8, 2024
"My predecessor and some of you here want to erase the events of January 6 from our collective memory. I refuse to let that happen. Now is the time to confront the truth and dispel the falsehoods. Loving your country can't be conditional, hinging only on your success," Biden declared to Congress. He labeled the Capitol riots the most significant threat to democracy since the Civil War.
"We must confront a harsh reality: democracy is under siege. We are duty-bound to protect it," the president asserted.
During his speech to Congress, Biden also addressed the pressing issue of security along the United States' southern border.
"We can either argue endlessly about the border situation or take decisive steps to rectify it. I'm prepared to take action. I urge Congress to pass the immigration bill immediately," Biden expressed, highlighting a stalled Senate immigration reform bill which he believes would be the most stringent in the nation's history. He blamed Trump for derailing the bill, suggesting it was a strategic move to safeguard his electoral prospects.
In response to calls from Republican Congress members to acknowledge Laken Riley, a nursing student tragically killed by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, Biden said, "We mourn the loss of Laken Riley, a life cut short by an unlawful act. Yet, how many lives are claimed by those who are here legally? This question underscores why we urgently need to transform the dynamics at our border and deter the reliance on smugglers for border crossing," conveying his sympathy to Riley's family and underlining the necessity for immigration reform.
