Former President Joe Biden issued a stark warning on Thursday, stating that the country is facing “dark days” under President Donald Trump’s administration. Speaking at the National Bar Association’s annual gala in Chicago, Biden asserted that the executive branch “seems to be doing its best to dismantle the Constitution.”
He criticized what he sees as a lack of congressional oversight and the complicity of the highest court in the nation. “The rulings they’ve made, my God,” he remarked. Biden described the current moment in American history as one where the nation is forced to “confront hard truth about ourselves, our institutions and democracy itself,” citing “every cruel executive outreach, every rollback of basic freedoms, every erosion of long-standing established precedent.”
A Call for Upholding the Constitution
Without mentioning President Trump by name, referring to him instead as “this guy,” Biden argued that Americans are beginning to recognize the importance of judicial checks on the executive branch. “Judges matter. Courts matter. The law matters and the Constitution matters,” he said, adding that people are realizing this “under the pressure we’re under now with this guy we have as president.”
Biden also took aim at “law firms bowing to pressure, bending to bullies” and some of the country’s largest news outlets. He condemned the “apparent glee” expressed by some politicians regarding the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. Biden accused the current administration of being intent on working to “ease all the gains we’ve made in my administration, to erase history, rather than make it, to erase fairness, equality, to erase justice itself.”
“Folks, we can’t sugarcoat this. These are dark days, but you’re all here for the same reason,” he said. “It’s because our future is literally on the line. We must, we must be unapologetic of fighting for the future.”
A Low Profile and an Investigation
Biden’s speech came in the same week that two of his senior aides were interviewed by the House Oversight Committee. The Republican-led panel’s investigation is focused on the former president’s cognitive decline and alleged attempts to conceal it from the public.
During his address, the former president, who has kept a relatively low profile since leaving the White House, made a joke about his age. “I have the dubious distinction of being elected the youngest senator in American history and the oldest president in American history,” he said, adding, “It’s hell turning 40 twice.” Biden, who is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, spends most of his time in Delaware and is currently writing a book.
Concluding his speech, Biden urged Americans to “summon the courage” to stand up for their beliefs. He encouraged them to “take the client who can’t write a big check” and to “stand firm against unconstitutional actions.” He concluded with a plea to “write the article, give the speech, lead the protest, defend the ideas your country is founded on, to protect your institutions, to fight for the soul of the nation.”
What The Author’s Opinion
The decision by former President Biden to speak out publicly against the current administration, despite facing his own health challenges and political scrutiny, highlights a unique role for a former leader. His comments, delivered without direct engagement with day-to-day politics, serve as a moral and constitutional critique from a figure with firsthand experience in the highest office. This approach positions him as an elder statesman speaking not just to a political party, but to a broader public he believes is witnessing a critical moment for American democracy. His message, therefore, carries a weight that is distinct from that of an active politician.
Featured image credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
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