Top Stories

Biden warns oligarchy forming in US that threatens democracy

'Tech industrial complex' is bringing 'avalanche of misinformation and disinformation,' says US president in farewell address

Biden warns oligarchy forming in US that threatens democracy

US President Joe Biden clasps his hands as he delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 15, 2025.

Reuters

The free press is crumbling, says Biden

Biden hands over power to Trump at noon on Monday

Biden's reputation with the left suffered over staunch support for Israel

President Joe Biden capped a half-century political career on Wednesday with a final Oval Office speech as he hopes to seal a legacy overshadowed by Democrats' failure to stop Donald Trump from returning to the White House.

Biden opened his speech with a familiar message - asking Americans to join together - but quickly warned about a dangerous concentration of wealth in the United States.

"Our system of separation of powers, checks and balances may not be perfect, but it has maintained our democracy for nearly 250 years, longer than any other nation in history that's ever tried such a bold experiment," Biden said.

But he warned of a "tech industrial complex" that is bringing an "avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power." The free press, he added, "is crumbling."

Biden hands over power to Trump at noon (1700GMT) on Monday. Trump has enlisted billionaire Elon Musk, who helped his election efforts, as a special adviser charged with cutting costs from the federal government.

The foreboding speech comes as Biden's Democratic Party has little leverage in national politics and Trump has nominated a slate of cabinet members who have pledged to upend traditional American alliances and governing norms.

Biden's legacy

Biden ran for president in 2020 as a transition figure, but opted at the unprecedented age of 80 to run for reelection, convinced he was the only Democrat who could beat Trump.

Forced out of the race in July after a disastrous debate against Trump, Biden has been blamed by some Democrats for their November wipeout, after Vice President Kamala Harris' whirlwind campaign lost every battleground state.

Biden and his allies oversaw the recovery from COVID-19, funded an infrastructure revival, sparked new semiconductor chips manufacturing, and tackled climate change as they tried to rebalance inequality and invest in the future. He leaves an outperforming U.S. economy and optimistic businesses.

US President Joe Biden hugs his grand-son Beau Biden as First Lady Jill Biden looks on after the President delivered his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 15, 2025Reuters

But Biden was unable to heal divisions in the country the way he had hoped, or stop democratic backsliding around the world. His crowning political achievement - defeating Trump in 2020 - proved temporary. Now the Republican president-elect has vowed to undo much of what the Democratic administration accomplished.

Biden's administration oversaw the distribution of COVID vaccines and an economic recovery that defied predictions of a recession, even as inflation soared and prices remained high, which soured voters on his economic stewardship.

Republicans seized on public frustration in last year's election, stoking anger over high prices with accusations of Democrat elitism and disconnection from working-class voters, while blaming immigrants for high prices, despite a lack of evidence.

Afghanistan, Israel

Biden, who spent more than three decades in the U.S. Senate and eight years as vice president to Obama before his four years as president, cites a unified Western response to Russia's war with Ukraine, the strengthening of alliances and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as key foreign policy achievements.

However, 13 U.S. military personnel died during the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021, and Biden's popularity never recovered.

His staunch support for Israel, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in response to the Hamas militant group's deadly attack on Israel, split the Democratic Party, and Biden's reputation with the left suffered.

Comments

See what people are discussing

More from World

Trump moves inauguration indoors due to freezing temperatures

Trump moves inauguration indoors due to freezing temperatures

Capital One Arena to host 20,000 viewers and unprecedented indoor parade