Biden urges Americans to 'keep the faith' as he spends final full day as president in South Carolina

Daftar Isi

He spent his final full day as president in South Carolina on Sunday, encouraging Americans to "keep the faith in a better day to come" and reviewing the impact that the civil rights movement and the state have had on his political life.

Biden delivered a final farewell from a state that holds a special personal significance, following his strong election victory in its 2020 Democratic primary which ultimately set the stage for him to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming the President.

Biden spoke to the congregation of Royal Missionary Baptist Church about why he entered public life - Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were political heroes, he said. And in a nod to South Carolina Democrats, he said: “I owe you big.”

Last Wednesday, he cautioned that an "oligarchy" of the very wealthy is gaining traction and a "tech-industrial complex" is hampering the future of democracy.

It's clear that the effort to restore this country's moral compass is tough and ongoing," Biden said Sunday. "We must remain optimistic. We must stay actively involved. We must continually believe in the possibility of a brighter future.

“'I'm not going anywhere,' he said, and the congregation applauded.”

In Charleston, which was constructed on a waterfront area, tens of thousands of enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the U.S. between the late 1760s and 1808.

He talked about making sure that the administration "looks like America." Pointing to people like Lloyd Austin, who was the first Black person to serve as Biden's secretary of defense, he spoke about the importance of this. He also brought up his nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, saying with emphasis, "And by the way, she's smarter than those guys."

“We're proving that by learning from our past, we can shape our future.”

Before the president-elect took the stage, previewing what was to happen after Trump takes office.

Biden reported on the negotiations between Israel and Hamas that the U.S. helped facilitate, saying "the guns in Gaza have gone silent." He mentioned that in May he had detailed the plan to stop the fighting.

"Now it will be the responsibility of the next administration to put this deal into action. I was pleased that our team was able to present a unified front in the final days," Biden said, before asking Trump to continue supporting regional allies and using diplomacy to maintain the agreement that was hard to achieve.

As Joe Biden's motorcade drove through Charleston, a group began chanting "Biden is a war criminal" and displayed a banner reading "Biden's legacy=genocide."

Following the announcement of the ceasefire, President Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden sat in the front row of the church. Over 200 congregants cheered and praised as they raised their voices in gospel songs, standing up, swaying, and clapping along. A choir led these musical performances from behind the pulpit before the program later focused on King.

Biden was introduced at both stops by Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, a key ally who referred to the president as his "longtime friend." Clyburn mentioned a number of presidents who were underappreciated while in office but were later viewed more favorably. He included Biden on that list.

“Don't be discouraged, good friend, because despite the lack of appreciation right now, history will look favorably upon you,” Clyburn said.

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Opposed by many Democrats, Clyburn notably was not one of them.

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Santana reported from Washington. The Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report from Washington.