Joe Biden sealed a decades-long career in public office with his farewell speech from the White House earlier this week. For the countless Americans eager for President Donald Trump to once again occupy the Oval Office, Biden’s address couldn’t come fast enough.
For many Democrats, however, the moment represented the realization that they are out of power at every level of the federal government and Biden is leaving behind a soiled legacy that has tarnished the entire party.
And even as millions of Americans recall the Biden years as dominated by a far-left agenda, one Senate Democrat insists that he actually didn’t go far enough to the extreme.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) used Biden’s farewell speech to make his point:
Now he tells us. Biden speaks out against dark money, for climate action, and for SCOTUS term limits. I pressed four years for this speech.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) January 16, 2025
That was a great speech. Had that speech launched the reelection campaign, we’d have won. Had that speech launched his presidency, we’d have saved America. Now we fight on.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) January 16, 2025
As The Hill reported:
Whitehouse’s comments criticizing Biden emphasize party sentiments after Democrats not only lost the White House but also the majority in the Senate, delivering the GOP a trifecta. Some have criticized Biden for not suspending his presidential campaign early enough, which resulted in a stunted bid for the presidency by Vice President Harris.
ADVERTISEMENTThroughout his time in office, Biden proposed a few of the ideas mentioned by Whitehouse, such as pushing for Supreme Court term limits, but never candidly revealed these desires in a compact speech, such as the one delivered Wednesday.
The overarching theme of the outgoing president’s final address focused on the consolidation of power, warning of oligarchs as President-elect Trump enters the White House.
On the other side of the aisle, Biden’s remarks were panned for different reasons:
Biden ends his presidency by using rhetoric that would be right at home in a third-world communist dictatorship.
This may be the worst farewell speech in presidential history.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) January 16, 2025
Joe Biden’s farewell speech. Joe will go down as the worst president in history. Good riddance and FJB! pic.twitter.com/dncyDWeUNX
— Gunnar (@GunnarGHG) January 16, 2025
Fox News focused on some of the alarmist rhetoric Biden included in his speech:
The president in his farewell address also warned Americans there is a “dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra wealthy people.”
“I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. … That’s a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra-wealthy people. The dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked,” he said.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy. Our basic rights, freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”
Here’s some additional commentary regarding the address:
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