WASHINGTON (JTA) — Setting his administration’s tone in his first speech to Congress, President Joe Biden said white supremacists posed the “most lethal” terrorist threat to the United States.
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Biden on Wednesday said the terrorist threat had evolved and referred to his decision to end the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan after 20 years, when the United States first entered the country to pursue the Al Qaeda terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
“Make no mistake, in 20 years terrorism has metastasized, the threat has evolved way beyond Afghanistan,” he said. “Those who are on the intelligence committees, the Foreign Relations Committee, the defense committees, you know well, we have to remain vigilant against the threats to the United States wherever they come from. Al Qaeda and ISIS are in Yemen, Syria, Somalia, other places in Africa and the Middle East and beyond.
“And we won’t ignore what our intelligence agencies have determined to be the most lethal terrorist threat to the homeland today, white supremacist terrorism,” he said.
Biden departed for a moment from his written speech: “We’re not going to ignore that either.”
Biden during his campaign to unseat former President Donald Trump accused Trump of stoking white supremacist tendencies and deadly attacks with his rhetoric and of ignoring the white supremacist threat. Trump came under fire for cutting programs targeting and tracking white supremacists.
Biden at the outset of his speech referred to the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by far-right rioters who sought to keep Congress from affirming Biden as president. He called the attack “The worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.”
Biden also urged Americans “to heal the soul of this nation,” referring to the racial unrest stemming from the police killing in Minneapolis almost a year ago of George Floyd. Floyd’s killer was convicted of murder earlier this month.
Biden referred briefly to his efforts to reenter the Iran nuclear deal, a plan Israel vigorously opposes. Trump quit the deal in 2018, saying it was inadequate to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons; Biden says the deal is the most practical means of preventing a nuclear Iran. Biden has said he is committed to consulting closely with Israel and other regional allies in entering the deal.
“On Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs that present a serious threat to America’s security and the security of the world – we are going to be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countries through diplomacy as well as stern deterrence,” he said.
The joint session — not technically a State of the Union which takes place only in non-inauguration years — marked a historic first: Two women standing behind Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Doug Emhoff, Harris’ Jewish husband, was present In the hall.
Biden acknowledged the historic moment. “Madame Speaker, Madame Vice President — no president has ever said those words from this podium, no president ever said those words — the First Lady, I’m her husband, the Second Gentleman.”
Biggest threat to whom. More like biggest way to be racist against whites. B l m is a much bigger threat
So why are there more non whites in jail than whites. Where are these so called white terrorists. Biden must be color blind.
The impostor is correct, they dubbed conservatives “white supremacists” and they pose a danger to this thieving, lawless regime, to the democrats, to the chinese, to iran, and all totalitarian juntas out there.
Expect the FBI and DOJ to start dishing out heavy dozes of double standard “just-us” type justice.
Sure thing. Because those white supremacists are responsible for looting and burning the country down. They are also attacking Asians and Jews in NY and all over liberal states.
On you lying evil dem o rat. The left is way more dangerous and violent. This another huge hoax the media and dem made up.
how many white supremacists are there. I’m sure there out there some in a big county. How many 20. They have no power and no one care about them. Look at the marxist black lives matter burning down the country.
What an idiot!
With the aid of the “Politically Correct” liberal media, BLM (Black Looters Matter) has done and is doing infinitely more damage, with its “Cancel Culture” and “Woke” nonsense, to democracy in America.
Mr President…any thoughts about Black Racists? For example: Rev. Wright, Farrakhan, Sharpton etc ( ironically they are all “reverends.”) Is there any Democrat that has the courage to criticize any of these people for what they are? And what about the Congressmen and Women that support them? Not to mention the anti-semites in Congress. Unless the President does, it just shows that in reality he is weak as water, weak as water.
The man simply has no self-respect.