On January 15, 2025, at 8 p.m., Joe Biden delivered his farewell speech at the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House. A presidential farewell address is a speech that presidents deliver to the world to reflect on their time in office and the future of the nation before the next president takes office. He used this opportunity to talk about warnings for the future and called for changes to the country’s foundational document. Biden talked about the dangers that he fears the country will face in Trump’s second term. Misplaced power, AI, and the internet were some of his biggest concerns for the future.
In his 19-minute long speech, Biden took the opportunity to convey a warning to America about the threat of unchecked abuse of power and wealth. He fears the creation of an emerging oligarchy, which can threaten the quality of life of the American people. Meaning, that he thinks some of the richest people in the world will eventually have control.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” Biden said, according to CNN.
He also cited one of the most famous farewell addresses. Dwight Eisenhower gave a warning in 1961 about “the dangers of the military-industrial complex.” Biden quoted Eisenhower, expressing his concern about “the disastrous rise of misplaced power.” His new concern is “the potential rise of tech-industrial complexes that could pose real dangers for our country as well.”
Biden also expressed concern over the world’s reliance on and trust in the internet, as there is a great deal of misinformation that is taking power over society.
“Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation enabling the abuse of power,” Biden said, according to The New York Times. “The free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact-checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and profit. We must hold the social platforms accountable to protect our children, our families and our very democracy from the abuse of power.”
Artificial intelligence is also something that Biden believes will take a toll on the country. He said that AI has many risks for our economy, security, and society. Though AI can help with many things, it also holds too much power and “could spawn new threats to our rights, our life, to our privacy, how we work, and how we protect our nation,” Biden said, according to CNN.
Though Biden expressed many concerns about the future throughout his farewell speech, he also went over his accomplishments during his presidency, including lowering the prices of prescription drugs for senior citizens and ensuring that veterans receive health care. He also encouraged Americans to keep up with the democratic process, urging them to respect democracy.
“I’m so proud of how much we’ve accomplished together for the American people, and I wish the incoming administration success,” Biden said, according to The New York Times. “Because I want America to succeed.”
To conclude his farewell speech, he ended off positively by telling Americans that he still believes in the nation.
“Now it’s your turn to stand guard,” he said, according to CNN. “May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it too. God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. Thank you for this great honor.”
After giving his farewell speech, Biden continued an informal farewell tour, delivering his final foreign policy speech at the State Department and another speech on his conservation legacy, and spoke at a Pentagon commander-in-chief farewell ceremony, according to CBS News.
As different opinions arose over Biden’s farewell speech, he strove to remain neutral and initiated a peaceful transfer of power to the newly re-elected president, Donald Trump.
