One year after the COVID-19 outbreak was officially declared a pandemic, President Joe Biden delivered his first address from the White House. The speech, which lasted over 25 minutes, was not only replete with the expected levels of promise and pseudo-patriotic hyperbole, but also diversion, deceit, and distraction.
Let’s break down Joe Biden’s address.
“Good evening my fellow Americans. Tonight, I’d like to talk to you about where we are as we mark one year since everything stopped because of this pandemic. A year ago, we were hit with a virus that was met with silence and spread unchecked, denials for days, weeks, then months.”
Biden claimed that the virus was met with “silence” and was permitted to spread “unchecked,” marred by months of denial. A thinly-veiled criticism of the Trump administration, this ignores that Democrats were among the loudest claiming that there was nothing to be concerned about, and Joe Biden himself rejected Trump’s earliest actions to curb the spread of COVID-19 as “xenophobic.”
“I know it’s been hard. I truly know. As I’ve told you before, I carry a card in my pocket with the number of Americans who have died from COVID to date. It’s on the back of my schedule. As of now, total deaths in America, 527,726. That’s more deaths than in World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and 9/11 combined.”
With World War I resulting in 53,402 American deaths, World War II resulting in 291,557 deaths, the Vietnam War resulting in 47,434 deaths and 9/11 resulting in 2,977 deaths, Joe Biden is technically correct in saying that COVID-19 has resulted in more American deaths. However, this comparison is made not to provide some form of contextual scale, but to redress the threat of COVID-19 as synonymous with that of a conflict. By framing the “challenge” in this manner, the range of potential solutions is drastically broadened, with increased power for the political class.
“They were husbands, wives, sons and daughters, grandparents, friends, neighbors, young and old. They leave behind loved ones, unable to truly grieve or to heal, even to have a funeral. But I’m also thinking about everyone else who lost this past year to natural causes, by cruel fate of accident or other disease. They, too, died alone. They, too, leave behind loved ones who are hurting badly.”
Aside from the claim by some that COVID-19 was the result of a biological attack from the Chinese government — a view rejected by most — then it’s disingenuous for Biden to argue that deaths from COVID-19 are not also due to “natural causes.”
“The first date, the family reunions, the Sunday night rituals. It’s all has exacted a terrible cost on the psyche of so many of us. For we are fundamentally a people who want to be with others, to talk, to laugh, to hug, to hold one another. But this virus has kept us apart. Grandparents haven’t seen their children or grandchildren. Parents haven’t seen their kids. Kids haven’t seen their friends.”
This is another example of the familiar equivalence made by Democrats. For most, it was not the virus which “kept us apart,” but government mandates — supposedly because of the virus. The distinction is an important one to make, since it places responsibility where it belongs: on the shoulders of the elected government rather than the non-existent shoulders of an unelected virus.
“The things we used to do that always filled us with joy have become things we couldn’t do and broke our hearts. Too often, we’ve turned against one another. A mask, the easiest thing to do to save lives, sometimes it divides us. States pitted against one another instead of working with each other. Vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who have been attacked, harassed, blamed, and scapegoated.”
While decrying division, let’s not forget that Biden described the removal of mask mandates as “Neanderthal thinking” just days ago.
“Look, we know what we need to do to beat this virus. Tell the truth. Follow the scientists and the science. Work together. Put trust and faith in our government to fulfill its most important function, which is protecting the American people. No function more important. We need to remember the government isn’t some foreign force in a distant capital. No, it’s us. All of us. We, the people.”
Arguably, very little of what Biden advocates for at this stage is in line with “the science.” For example, schools remain closed despite the scientific community arguing otherwise, with Teachers Unions acting as the driving force behind their continued closure.
“Two months ago, the country — this country didn’t have nearly enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all or anywhere near all of the American public, but soon we will. We’ve been working with vaccine manufacturers, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, to manufacture and purchase hundreds of millions of doses of these three safe, effective vaccines.”
Biden is claiming responsibility for the entire vaccine strategy, while ignoring that it was the Trump administration which delivered on the vaccine, and that there were multiple ongoing deals when he entered office regarding the current and future supply of the vaccine.
“We continue to work on making at-home testing available, and we’ve been focused on serving people in the hardest hit communities of this pandemic, Black, Latino, Native American, and rural communities. So what does all of this add up to? When I took office 50 days ago, only 8% of Americans after months, only 8% of those over the age of 65 had gotten their first vaccination. Today that number is 65%.”
Biden is similarly claiming credit for the mere progress of time. In one breath, he is criticizing the Trump administration’s failure to deliver a vaccine. Then, in another, he is claiming that “only 8% of Americans after months” were vaccinated. “After months?” Months after what?
“Tonight, I can say we’re not only going to meet that goal, we’re going to beat that goal. Because we’re actually on track to reach this goal of 100 million shots in arms on my 60th day in office. No other country in the world has done this, none. And I want to talk about the next steps we’re thinking about.”
Joe Biden is using a common statistical trick to imply international success. It is true that, in terms of total doses, the United States leads the world, with over 98 million doses administered. In comparison, China has given over 52 million doses, with India third at just over 26 million. However, when we adjust for population size, the United States is 14th in the world, with countries like Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom demonstrating far more effective vaccine programs.
“And let me be clear. That doesn’t mean everyone’s going to have that shot immediately, but it means you’ll be able to get in line beginning May 1. Every adult will be eligible to get their shot. And to do this, we’re going to go from a million shots a day that I promised in December before I was sworn in, to maintaining, beating our current pace of 2 million shots a day, outpacing the rest of the world.”
Given that the goal is to vaccinate every American at some stage, we are all effectively in a waiting list already. The promise to formalize this list is hardly an achievement.
“Secondly, at the time every adult is eligible in may we will launch with our partners new tools to make it easier for you to find the vaccine and where to get the shot including a new website that will help you first find the place to get vaccinated and the one nearest you. No more searching day and night for an appointment for you and your loved ones.”
Again, a website is hardly a glorious achievement.
“And meet my goal that I stated at the same time about 100 million shots of opening the majority of K-8 schools in my first 100 days in office.”
This is a repeatedly questioned claim, which Jen Psaki has been required to walk back.
“Listen to Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, one of the most distinguished and trusted voices in the world. He’s assured us the vaccines are safe and Jun went through a rigorous scientific review. I know they’re safe. Vice President [Kamala] Harris and I know they’re safe.”
Firstly, Fauci has changed his position on various COVID-19 policies on multiple occasions, and effectively admitted to misleading the American public on the subject of masks. Secondly, both Biden and Harris promoted anti-vaccine conspiracy theories when Trump was in office, which played a role in undermining public opinion of vaccine safety.
“We’re seizing this moment and history, I believe, will record, we faced and overcame one of the toughest and darkest periods in this nation’s history. The darkest we’ve ever known. I promise you we’ll come out stronger with a renewed faith in ourselves, a renewed commitment to one another to our communities and country.”
It’s difficult to view the period of COVID-19 as “the darkest we’ve ever known” when we consider the American Civil War…
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.