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US President Joe Biden has warned that an “oligarchy is emerging in America” that could undermine American democracy by blowing up the emerging “tech industrial complex” that has led to a dangerous concentration of wealth and power in the country.
During his farewell address to Americans from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, Biden’s comments were a veiled attack on Donald Trump’s closest allies in corporate America, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, five days before he hands over power to the Republican Party.
Biden He said he wanted to warn the country about the “dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a few super-rich people” and the threat of “abuse of power going unchecked”.
In the year In his 1961 farewell speech about the military-industrial complex, he cited the late President Dwight Eisenhower’s warning about the interaction between government and government. Technology It is equally dangerous.
“I am also concerned about the rise of the tech-industrial complex, which could pose a real threat to our country. Americans are being bombarded with misinformation and disinformation that leads to abuse of power. The free press is crumbling. Organizers are disappearing. Social media is abandoning fact-checking,” Biden said.
Biden’s words are a reference to Musk, the social media platform owner and electric vehicle maker Tesla, who has been a major funder of Trump’s campaign and one of his closest allies during the transition. Trump’s new administration.
Some of Silicon Valley’s top executives, from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to Mark Zuckerberg He embraced Trump Since his election victory, he is expected to have a central position at Monday’s inauguration ceremony in Washington.
Biden used his speech to shine a positive light on his one-time presidency, which saw him end his re-election bid in late July and suffer a major political setback, handing the campaign torch against Trump to Vice President Kamala. Harris – an effort that ended in bitter defeat.
Biden’s approval ratings have hit new lows as he winds down his presidency and more than five decades in Washington politics. Just 36.7 percent of Americans approve of his job performance and 55.8 percent disapprove, according to the FiveThirtyEight polling average.
Biden said he hopes his actions will be evaluated favorably in the future.
“It will take time to feel the full impact of everything we’ve done together, but the seeds have been planted, and they will grow and flourish for decades to come,” he said.
Biden has not only faced heavy criticism from Republicans, but also rebukes from Democrats who blame him for seeking re-election despite his age. He is now 82 years old.
Biden’s presidency has been characterized by a record labor market and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as a series of legislative successes on the economy. But the pain of hyperinflation became a major political vulnerability for him.
He has voiced Western support for Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in 2022, but his response to conflicts in the Middle East, including staunch support for Israel’s war on Gaza, has drawn opposition from progressive democrats. , which undermines the unity of his political coalition.
It wasn’t until Wednesday, five days before he left office, that Biden — with the help of Trump aides — was able to broker a deal. Ceasefire Agreement To free hostages held by Hamas.
“This plan was drafted and negotiated by my team and will be mostly implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to get the incoming administration fully informed, because that’s how it should be, working together as Americans,” he said at the beginning of his address.
