FULL SPEECH: Biden delivers farewell address to the nation

before I begin let me speak to important news that from earlier today after eight months of non-stop negotiation my Administration by my Administration a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas the elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year this plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming Administration that's why I told my team to keep the incoming Administration fully informed because that's how it should be working together as Americans this will be my final address to

you from the American people from the Oval Office from this desk as president and I've been thinking a lot about who we are and maybe even more importantly who we should be long ago in New York Harbor an iron worker installed beam after beam day after day he was joined by Steel Workers stonemasons Engineers they built not just a single structure but a beacon of Freedom the very idea of America was so big we felt the entire world needed to see the Statute of Liberty a gift from France after our civil war like the very

idea of America it was built not by one person but by many people from every background and from around the world like America The Statue of Liberty is not standing still her foot literally steps forward at top a broken chain of human bondage she's on the March and she literally moves she's built the sway back and forth to withstand the fury of Stormy Weather to stand the test of time because storms are always coming she sways a few inches but she never falls into the current below an engineering Marvel the Statute of Liberty is also

an enduring symbol of the soul of our nation a soul shaped by forces that bring us together and by forces that pull us apart and yet through good times and tough times we've with stood it all a nation of pioneers and explorers of dreamers and doers of ancestors native to this land of ancestors who came by force a nation of immigrants came to build a better life a nation holding the Tor to the most powerful idea ever in the history of the world that all of us all of us are created equal that all of

us deserve to be treated with dignity Justice and fairness that democracy must defend and be defined and be imposed moved in every way possible our rights our freedoms our dreams but we know the idea of America our institution our people our values that uphold it are constantly being tested ongoing debates about power and the exercise of power but whether we lead by the example of our power or the power of our example whether we show the courage to stand up to the abuse of power or we yield to it after 50 years at the center

of all of this I know that believing in the IDE of America means respecting the institution that govern a free Society the presidency the Congress the courts a free and independent press institutions that are rooted not they just not reflect the Timeless words but they real they they Echo the words of the Declaration of Independence we hold these truths to be self-evident rooted in the Timeless words of the Constitution We the People our system of separation of powers checks and balances it may not be perfect but it's maintained our democracy for nearly 250 years longer

than any other nation in history that's ever tried such a bold experiment in the past four years our democracy is Hell strong and every day I've kept my commitment to be president of for all Americans through one of the toughest periods in our nation's history I've had a great partner and vice president Kam hiris it's been the honor of my life to see the resilience of essential workers getting us through once in the century pandemic the heroism of service members of First Responders keeping us safe the determination of Advocates standing up for our rights and

our freedoms instead of losing their jobs to an economic crisis that we inherited millions of Americans now have the Dignity of work millions of entrepreneurs and companies creating new businesses and industries hiring American workers using American products together we've launched a new era of American possibilities one of the greatest modernizations of infrastructure in our entire history from New Roads Bridges clean water affordable high-speed internet for every American we invented the semiconductor smaller than the tip of my little finger and now is bringing those chip factories and those jobs back to America where they belong creating

thousands of jobs finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for millions of seniors and finally doing something to protect our children and our families by passing the most sign significant gun safety law in 30 years and bringing violent crime to a 50-year low meeting our sacred obligation to over 1 million veterans so far who are exposed to toxic materials and to their families providing Medical Care and education benefits and more for their families you know it will take time to feel the full impact of all we've done together but the seeds

are planted and they'll grow and they'll Bloom for decades to come at home we've created nearly 17 million new jobs more than any other single Administration a single term more people have health care than ever before and overseas we strengthen NATO Ukraine is still free and we pulled ahead of our competition with China and so much more I'm so proud of how much we've accomplished together for the American people and I wish the incoming Administration success because I want America to succeed that's why I've held my duty to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of

power to ensure we lead by the power of our example I have no doubt that America's in a position to continue to succeed that's why my Farewell Address tonight I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern this is a dangerous con and that's the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra wealthy people the dangerous consequences if their Abus of power is left unchecked today an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy our basic rights

and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead we see the consequences all across America and we've seen it before more than a century ago but the American people stood up to the Robert Barons back then and busted the trusts they didn't punish the wealthy just made the wealthy pay the by play by the rules everybody else had to workers W rights to earn their fair share you know they were dealt into the deal and helped put us on a path to building the largest middle class most prosper first century any nation in

the world has ever seen we've got to do that again the last four years that is exactly what we've done people should be able to make as much as they can but pay play by the same rules pay their fair share in taxes so much is at stake right now the existential threat of climate change has never been clear just look across the country from California to North Carolina that's why I signed the most significant climate and clean energy law ever ever in the history of the world and the rest of the world is trying

to model it now it's working creating jobs and industries of the future now we' proven we don't have to choose between protecting the environment and growing the economy we're doing both the powerful forces want to wield their unchecked influence to eliminate the steps we've taken to tackle the crime and crisis to serve their own interest for power and profit we must not be bullied to sacrific in the future the future of our children and our grandchildren must keep pushing forward and push faster there's no time to waste it's also clear that American leadership and technology

is unparalleled an unparallel source of innovation that can transform lives we see the same dangers of the concentration of Technology power and wealth you know as farewell addressed President Eisenhower spoke of the dangers of the military-industrial complex he warned us then about and I quote the potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power end of quote six days six decades later I'm equally concerned about the P potential rise of a tech industrial complex it could pose real dangers for our country as well Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling the

abuse of power the Free Press is crumbling editors are disappearing social media is giving up on factchecking the truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit we must hold the social platforms accountable to protect our children our families and the Very democracy from the abuse of power meanwhile artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology of our time perhaps of all time nothing offers more profound possibilities and risk for our economy and our security our society for very for Humanity artificial intelligence even has the potential to help us answer my call to end

cancer as we know it but unless safeguards are in place AI could spawn new threats to our rights our way of life to our privacy how we work and how we protect our nation we must make sure AI is safe and trustworthy and good for all humankind in the age of AI it's more important than ever that the people must cover and as the land of liberty America not China must lead the world in the development of AI you know in the years ahead will help to be it's going to be up to the president

the presidency the Congress the courts the free press and the American people to confront these powerful forces we must reform the tax code not by giving the biggest tax cuts to billionaires but by making them begin to pay their fair share we need to get York money that's that hidden funding behind too many campaigns contributions we need to get it out of our politics we need to Ena an 18-year time limit term limit time and term for the strongest ethic and the strongest ethic reforms for a supreme court we need to ban members of Congress

from tra from Trading stock while they're in the Congress we need to amend the Constitution and make clear that no president no president is immune from crimes that he or she commits while in office the president's power is not limit it's not absolute and it shouldn't be and in a democracy there's another danger to the concentration of power and wealth it erods a sense of unity and common purpose it causes distrust and division participating in our democracy becomes exhausting and even disillusioning and people don't feel like they have a fair shot we have to stay

engaged in the process I know it's frustrating a fair shot is what makes America America Everyone's entitled to a fair shot not a guarantee but just a fair shot an even playing field going as far as your hard work and talent can take you we can never lose that essential truth remain who we are I've always believed and I've told other world leaders America can be defined by one word possibilities only in America do we believe anything is possible like a kid with a Stutter from Modest Beginnings in Scranton Pennsylvania in Claymont Delaware sitting behind

the this desk in the Oval Office as president of the United States that's the magic of America it's all around us upstairs in the residence of the White House I've walked by a painting of the Statue of Liberty I don't know how many times in the painting there's several workers climbing on the outstretched arm of the statue that holds the torch reminds me every day I pass it of the story and soul of our nation and the power of the American people there's a story of a veteran this is a veteran a son of an

immigrant whose job was to climb that torch and polish the Amber panes so rays of light could reach out as far as possible he was known as The Keeper of the flame he once set of the Statute of Liberty quote speaks a silent universal language one of hope that anyone who seeks and speaks Freedom can understand yes we sway back and forth to withstand the fury of the storm to stand the test of time a constant struggle constant struggle a short distance between Peril and possibility what I believe is the America of our dreams is

always closer than we think it's up to us to make our dreams come true let me close by stating my gratitude to so many people to the members of my Administration as well as public service and First Responders across the country and around the world thank you for stepping up to serve to our service members and your families it's been the highest honor of my life to lead you as commander-in Chief and of course to kamla and our incredible partner historic vice president she and Douger become like family and to me family is everything my

deepest appreciation to our amazing first lady who's with me in the oval today for our entire family you're the love of my life and the life of my love my eternal thanks to you the American people after 50 years of Public Service I give you my word I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands Nation where the strength of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure now it's your turn to stand guard may you all be The Keeper of the flame may you keep the faith I love

America you love it too God bless you all may God protect your troops thank you for this great honor President Biden at