LEADERS’ VIEWS
Joe Biden President, United States
A future for all
W hat makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack, both at home and overseas, at the very same time. Overseas, Putin of Russia is on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond. If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you, he will not. But Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself. That is all Ukraine is asking … History is watching. If the United States walks away now, it will put Ukraine at risk. Europe at risk. The free world is at risk, emboldening others who wish to do us harm. My message to President Putin is simple. We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down. America’s comeback is building a future of American possibilities, building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down, investing in all of America, in all Americans to make sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one behind! The pandemic no longer controls our lives. The vaccines that saved us from COVID are now being used to help beat cancer. Turning setback into comeback. That’s America! I inherited an economy that was on the brink. Now our economy is the envy of the world! 15 million new jobs in just three years – that’s a record! Unemployment at 50-year lows. A record 16 million Americans are starting small businesses and each one is an act of hope. With historic job growth and small business growth for Black, Hispanic, and Asian-Americans … We are the only nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new. Home to Native Americans whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years. Home to people from every place on Earth. Some came freely.
Some chained by force. Some when famine struck, like my ancestral family in Ireland. Some to flee persecution. Some to chase dreams that are impossible anywhere but here in America. That’s America, where we all come from somewhere, but we are all Americans. We can fight about the border, or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it … We are also making history by confronting the climate crisis, not denying it. I’m taking the most significant action on climate ever in the history of the world. I am cutting our carbon emissions in half by 2030. Creating tens of thousands of clean-energy jobs, like the … workers building and installing 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations. Conserving 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. Taking historic action on environmental justice for fence-line communities smothered by the legacy of pollution. And patterned after the Peace Corps and Ameri Corps, I’ve launched a Climate Corps to put 20,000 young people to work at the forefront of our clean energy future. I’ll triple that number this decade … As we manage challenges at home, we’re also managing crises abroad including in the Middle East … Israel has a right to go after Hamas. Hamas could end this conflict today by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for October 7th. Israel has an added burden because Hamas hides and operates among the civilian population. But Israel also has a fundamental responsibility to protect innocent civilians in Gaza. This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined … Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure that humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the cross fire … Creating stability in the Middle East also
means containing the threat posed by Iran. That’s why I built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. I’ve ordered strikes to degrade Houthi capabilities and defend U.S. Forces in the region. As Commander in Chief, I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and military personnel. For years, all I’ve heard from my Republican friends and so many others is China’s on the rise and America is falling behind. They’ve got it backward. America is rising. We have the best economy in the world. Since I’ve come to office, our GDP [gross domestic product] is up. And our trade deficit with China is down to the lowest point in over a decade. We’re standing up against China’s unfair economic practices. And standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. I’ve revitalized our partnerships and alliances in the Pacific. I’ve made sure that the most advanced American technologies can’t be used in China’s weapons … We want competition with China, but not conflict. And we’re in a stronger position to win the competition for the 21st Century against China or anyone else for that matter … I see a future where we defend democracy, not diminish it. I see a future where we restore the right to choose and protect other freedoms, not take them away. I see a future where the middle class finally has a fair shot and the wealthy finally have to pay their fair share in taxes. I see a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence. Above all, I see a future for all Americans! … State of the Union Address, 7 March 2024
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globalgovernanceproject.org
2024 — G7 ITALY: THE APULIA SUMMIT
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