In his farewell speech in Davos, Vice President Joe Biden threw blame and criticism at Russia and President Putin.
The Congress Hall where Biden was making his last major foreign policy address will be a sizeable one, with 1,448 seats– an appropriate farewell to the Vice President who has been serving for the past – years.
Biden arrived at Davos by helicopter, although his preferred means of travel is train, so as to enjoy the beautiful terrain of Switzerland. The VP’s helo-cade landed on the same tarmac as an Iranian plane, and upon arrival, the VP took photos with some stationed soldiers, then his personal team.
His visit to Davos started with Biden speaking of his work and leadership with the White House Cancer Moonshot Taskforce, which will be renamed to the Biden Cancer Initiative after his term ends in two days. VP Biden also held meetings with several distinguished world leaders, including China’s President Xi Jinping, Iraq’s Kurdistan Region President, Masoud Barzani, Serbia’s Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic, among others.
The speech, in itself, was quite moving and passionate, almost serving as Biden’s farewell speech to the many years he has dedicated to serving the United States of America. He started the speech by referring to his last few days as president and stating the new presidency that would take over the administration in 2 days, which was met with boos from the crowd.
He then sprang into an elaborate and powerful discourse regarding the length our world had come since the days of World War II, referencing the immense power and benefits of globalization, not just economically and politically, but as a means of bringing together people from around the world.
Biden sprung into an evaluation of the modern-day industrial revolution, and how modern economics has been so greatly influenced by developments in technology and vice-versa. The jeopardy of economic security, and the instability affecting our world’s masses, especially the middle class, was another area of focus for the VP. He then mentioned the increasing rise of inequality, saying “the top 1% is not carrying its weight”.
He then paralleled this discussion of economic worries to real security risks and fears, mainly regarding violence and terrorism at the hands of Jihadi terrorists. Biden said that the use of Islamophobia, anti-Semitic, or xenophobic rhetoric, while also making references to Trump’s claims of “build[ing] walls”, “offer[s] a false sense of security in an interconnected world”.
Blame It All On Russia
Joe Biden threw blame and criticism at Russia and President Putin, mainly for pursuing individualist goals of attaining more power through military and political advances. Biden said that himself and Obama had been working to ensure that the United States was “to lead not only by the example of our power – but by the power of our example”.
He closed the speech with a call to action to uphold the values and beliefs of democracy and freedom. Biden said he hoped that the new President and his team would work to defend those values, and stated that he, himself, although retreating to private life, would continue to exercise his voice and power as a citizen to protect the future of our world.
On the flight back to Washington, the Vice President Biden described his final official trip using the phrase “sober joy”, he was apparently quite energetic and happy. Upon landing, the Air Force staff hosed down the plane with fire truck hoses, a tradition, and tribute to someone who leaves the service, clearly a moment of honor and respect for the Vice President.
Read more: Davos Review: Final 48 Hours Of Vice President Joe Biden