President Biden on Friday defended American democracy and its role on the world stage using the memory of the veterans who stormed the beaches of France on D-Day 80 years ago.
Biden delivered remarks at Pointe du Hoc, the 100-foot-high cliff in Normandy that Army Rangers scaled under gunfire to help turn the tide of World War II. He urged Americans not to forget the selflessness and bravery of those who fought that day, tying it directly to the global and domestic challenges facing the U.S. today.
“As we gather here today, it is not just to honor those who demonstrated such remarkable bravery that day. …It’s hearing the echoes of their voices. To listen to them,” Biden said. “Because they are calling us out, and they are calling us out now. They ask us, what will we do? They’re not asking us to climb these cliffs. But they are asking us to stay true to what America stands for.”
“My fellow Americans, I refuse to believe, I simply refuse to believe, that the greatness of America is a thing of the past,” Biden added, making a subtle dig at former President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. .
Biden did not mention Trump by name in his remarks, which lasted less than 15 minutes. But Biden’s rhetoric was a clear reference to the issues he focused on in his re-election campaign, including protecting democracy from Trump’s threat and maintaining America’s role as an influential power that can rally allies on the world stage.
“American democracy demands the hardest thing: believing we are part of something bigger than ourselves. So democracy starts with each of us, it starts when a person decides that there is something more important than themselves… when they decide that their country is more important than themselves,” Biden said.
He also invoked the war in Ukraine to defend the United States’ support against Russia’s invasion, a theme he used throughout his trip to France. Biden met on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and apologized for the delay in funding for the war-torn country.
“Does anyone doubt that they would like America to stand up today against Putin’s aggression here in Europe?” Biden said about the soldiers who fought at Pointe du Hoc. “Does anyone believe these rangers would want America to go it alone today? …Does anyone doubt that they would not move heaven and earth to defeat today’s hateful ideologies?”
“They believed that America was the lighthouse of the world, and I’m sure they believed it would be that way forever,” he added.
Biden’s speech was delivered at the same venue where then-President Reagan marked the 40th anniversary of D-Day in 1984 with a rousing speech about the value of democracy in the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
The president’s main foreign policy achievement during his first term was rallying European allies to support Ukraine as Kiev fights invading Russian forces. Biden has repeatedly referred to the US as “the world power.”
Trump, however, expressed skepticism about continuing support for Ukraine if elected in November. The former president has criticized allies such as NATO and raised alarm among some former aides that he would try to leave NATO if he regained the White House or became closer to dictators such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong Un. of North Korea.
Biden honored the bravery of World War II veterans, saying Friday that during this trip to France: “One thought comes to mind, my God, my God, how did they do that?”
He mentioned a few veterans, including one who was personally seated next to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and participated in the D-Day invasion at age 18. Biden personally greeted the veteran after the speech.
Biden’s re-election campaign released a video on Thursday criticizing Trump as a “draft dodger” to mark D-Day. The video featured three veterans who argued that Trump was unfit to be commander in chief, arguing that “ a good commander in chief is someone who gives whatever he wants.”
The president will end his visit on Sunday with a stop at the same cemetery where Trump was unable to visit due to weather in 2018 and reportedly referred to those buried there as “losers” and “suckers,” comments Biden has repeatedly cited to attack his predecessor. He will travel to Paris on Saturday for an official state visit to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Biden delivered remarks Thursday on the anniversary of the D-Day landings, during which he also invoked Ukraine’s fight against “a tyrant,” calling on Americans to remember the value of international alliances at a precarious time in world affairs.
He spoke before dozens of surviving World War II veterans and also made subtle attacks on Trump’s America First agenda, emphasizing the importance of supporting allies.
The D-Day landings, which constitute the largest amphibious invasion in history, helped turn the tide of World War II. Biden met Thursday with 41 veterans, 31 of whom were on D-Day, telling them they are the “greatest generation” and that they “saved the world.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
