“Humanitarian aid cannot be a secondary consideration or a means of pressure,” Biden said on Thursday (local time) in his State of the Union address to Congress. The 81-year-old repeated the call for an immediate six-week ceasefire. He wants to continue to stand up to Vladimir Putin after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
In his much-anticipated speech, Biden denounced the dramatic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, promised further aid to the people there and called on Israel’s leadership to better protect civilians. “More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom are not affiliated with Hamas,” Biden said. Children have become orphans, people have lost their homes and been displaced. Many are without food, water and medicine. “It’s heartbreaking.”
Image gallery: Speech to the nation: US President Joe Biden in attack mode
(Photo: ALEX BRANDON (POOL)) Bild 1/18
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“Allow more aid deliveries”
Biden urgently appealed to the Israeli leadership to make its contribution to the humanitarian care of the Palestinian civilian population: “Israel must allow more aid deliveries to Gaza and ensure that humanitarian aid workers do not get caught in the crossfire,” warned the Democrat. “Humanitarian aid must not be secondary or used as a bargaining chip. Protecting and rescuing innocent people must take priority.”
Before his appearance, Biden’s government announced that the US military, together with international partners, wanted to set up a temporary port on the coast of the Gaza Strip. The civilian population in need should receive additional help by sea. The implementation will take a few weeks. Biden emphasized that no US soldiers were needed on site for the project. The USA has long been urging Israel to increase protection of the civilian population and provide more aid to the population in Gaza.
Help for Ukraine
With a view to the Ukraine war, Biden again called on Congress to release further US aid to the country attacked by Russia. “My message to President Putin, whom I have known for a long time, is simple: We will not run away,” Biden said to the Kremlin chief. “If anyone in this room thinks Putin is going to go after Ukraine, that’s wrong. I assure you he won’t.”
Ukraine could stop Putin. “If we stand by Ukraine and supply the weapons.” Ukraine is not asking for US soldiers and he will not send any, the US President emphasized. The Republicans wanted the United States to abandon its leadership role in the world.
Biden also condemned statements made by his predecessor Donald Trump about the NATO defense alliance. These are “dangerous and unacceptable,” he warned. The 77-year-old Trump recently made it clear during a campaign appearance that he would not provide American support to NATO allies with low defense spending in the event of a Russian attack.
The USA has been considered Kiev’s most important ally in the past two years since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The US government supplied Ukraine with massive amounts of weapons and ammunition. However, there has been no supply from the USA for quite some time. The background is a domestic political blockade in the US Congress, where Republicans have so far refused further aid to Kiev. A new aid package that provides around $60 billion for Ukraine has passed the Senate. But now it is stuck in the second chamber, the House of Representatives.
“Will not separate families”
In terms of domestic policy, Biden does not want to follow the policies of his predecessor when it comes to migration, which is an important issue in the US election campaign. “I will not separate families,” he said. He will not ban people from entering the country because of their faith. Just a week after taking office, Trump imposed an entry ban for people from several predominantly Muslim countries, causing horror around the world. The Republican also had families who had come to the USA illegally taken into custody for the entire duration of their asylum or immigration process.
Referring to a recent statement by Trump, Biden continued: “I will not demonize immigrants and say they are poison in the blood of our country.” The ultra-right MP Marjorie Taylor Greene repeatedly interrupted the speech. Among other things, she wore a pin that commemorated Laken Riley, a student who was killed in her home state of Georgia. The case had drawn national attention because the main suspect is a Venezuelan who, according to US authorities, entered the US illegally. “Laken Riley, an innocent young woman killed by an illegal — that’s right,” Biden said. But how many of the thousands of people are killed by people who are not in the country without a residence permit, Biden continued.
The incumbent also called for people to defend democracy in the USA with all their might. “My predecessor and some of you here are trying to bury the truth about January 6th,” said Biden, referring to Trump and the storming of the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the parliament building in Washington . Biden said the conspiracy to overturn the election results was the greatest threat to democracy since the American Civil War. But America was strong and democracy prevailed. Biden did not mention Trump by name, only referring to him as his predecessor.
Biden addresses his age
At the end, Biden also discussed his age. “Throughout my career I’ve been told again and again that I’m too young and too old. Whether young or old, I’ve always known what lasts,” said the 81-year-old. It is America’s idea that everyone is created equal and deserves to be treated equally throughout life. “We’ve never fully lived up to this idea, but we’ve never moved away from it either. And I’m not going to move away from it now.”
Biden’s age is considered his biggest liability in the current presidential election campaign. The Democrat entered the White House in 2021 as the oldest president ever and wants to run for another term in the November election. If he were re-elected, he would be 86 years old at the end of his second term. Biden regularly makes headlines with blunders and slips of the tongue. He was therefore under particular scrutiny during the long and highly regarded State of the Union speech, which this time took place in the middle of the presidential election campaign.
Dozens of US Democrats wore white during the speech. They demonstrated for women’s rights. During his address, Biden also addressed the Supreme Court’s restrictions on abortion rights in the United States. The white clothing is a symbol of the suffragette movement. At the beginning of the 20th century, American women in the USA demonstrated in white clothing for universal women’s suffrage.
Other guests also made political statements with their outfits. Democrat Nikema Williams and other women showed up in blue to show solidarity with the Israeli hostages. Democrat Rashida Tlaib and at least one other woman wore black with a Palestinian scarf over them in solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip. Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene put on a MAGA cap before the speech began. MAGA stands for presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign motto: “Make America Great Again.”
