NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Joe Biden spent his last full day as president Sunday in South Carolina, urging Americans to “keep the faith in a better day to come” and reflect on the influence of the movement civil rights and the state. himself in his political trajectory.
On the eve of Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday, Biden bid his final farewell to a state that holds special significance after his landslide victory in the 2020 Democratic primary set him up to achieve the goal of his life to win the presidential election.
Biden told the congregation at Royal Missionary Baptist Church why he entered public service — 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 a lot.” »
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The day before the federal holiday honoring King, the slain civil rights leader, Biden struck a more optimistic tone for the country’s future than his televised farewell address last Wednesday, when he warned against entrenching of an “oligarchy” of the ultra-rich and a “techno-industrial complex” which obstructs the future of democracy.
“We know that the fight to redeem the soul of this nation is difficult and ongoing,” Biden said Sunday. “We must remain hopeful. We must remain committed. We must always keep faith in a better day to come.”
He added: “I’m not going anywhere” – and the congregation applauded.
Biden then visited the International African American Museum in Charleston, built on a riverfront site where tens of thousands of enslaved Africans were brought to the United States from the late 1760s to 1808.
He spoke of efforts to ensure an administration “that looks like America,” pointing to people like Lloyd Austin, who was Biden’s defense secretary and the first Black person to hold that position. Speaking about Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination as the first black woman to the Supreme Court, he leaned toward the microphone and said, “And by the way, she’s smarter than those guys.” »
“We are proving that by remembering our history, we can make history,” Biden said.
As he spoke at a Trump rally in Washington, speaker after speaker criticized Biden’s presidency before the president-elect took the stage, providing a glimpse of what was to come afterward. Trump’s inauguration.
Before the church service, as hostages began to be released under a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas that the United States helped broker, Biden said that “the guns in Gaza have become silent. struggle.
“It is now up to the next administration to help implement this agreement.” I was pleased that our team spoke with one voice over the past few days,” Biden said, before urging Trump to continue supporting regional allies and use diplomacy to maintain the hard-won deal .
Biden has faced criticism from critics who oppose his administration for shipping weapons to Israel and say the United States has not pushed its ally enough to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. As his motorcade passed through Charleston, a group chanted “Biden is a war criminal” and held a banner reading “Biden’s legacy = genocide.”
After commenting on the ceasefire, Biden and first lady Jill Biden took their seats in the front pew of the church. At least several hundred worshipers sang gospel songs, standing, swaying and clapping. A choir led the musical selections from behind the pulpit before the program later focused on King.
Biden was introduced at both stops by Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., a key ally who called the president “his longtime friend.” Clyburn cited a number of presidents who were underestimated in office but were later looked upon with more affection. added Biden to that list.
“So I want to tell you, my dear friend, that very little appreciation has been shown recently, but please do not faint. History will be very kind to you,” Clyburn said.
In 2020, Biden saw his campaign fail after losing opening elections in New Hampshire, Iowa and Nevada. But in the fourth stage, in South Carolina – where black voters make up the majority of the Democratic electorate – he was carried to victory after Clyburn’s support.
After taking office, Biden pushed South Carolina to open the Democratic Party nominating process for 2024, instead of New Hampshire. He easily won the state’s primary last year, but after failing in a debate against Trump, Biden dropped out of the race under pressure from many Democrats. Notably, Clyburn was not one of them.
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Santana reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.
