Joe Biden delivers speech to US Congress: "America is ready to take off"

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Joe Biden before Congress

Photo: CHIP SOMODEVILLA / AFP

It is a traditional brand that every US president must be measured by: What successes can be reported after the first 100 days in the White House?

It is also the time when a first speech to the assembled US Congress is due.

Strictly speaking, Joe Biden doesn't hit the 100-day limit until Friday.

Nevertheless, he has now stepped in front of the two chambers of the house.

In his speech, he not only praised what he had achieved and the further plans of his government, but also tried to spread a spirit of optimism.

“After 100 days of rescue and renewal, America is ready to take off.

We're working again.

Dream again.

Discover again.

Lead the world again, ”said the address, excerpts of which were published in advance.

Since taking office in January, his government has taken measures to restore confidence in democracy and to convince with the results of its work, said Biden.

“We're vaccinating the country.

We create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

We deliver real results that people can see and feel in their own lives. "

The creation of new

jobs in

particular

was a constantly recurring theme of the speech.

Regardless of whether Biden was talking about infrastructure measures, climate protection or internet connections - he kept coming back to the new jobs that came with them.

Biden also did not save himself swipes at a predecessor Donald Trump.

As President, he took over a country in the midst of a crisis: the United States had experienced the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and, with the storming of the Capitol in January, the worst attack on democracy since the American Civil War.

Pharmaceutical prices are expected to fall in the medium term

In his speech, Biden also extolled

his government's

trillion-

dollar

infrastructure

plan, designed to create millions of jobs and boost the economy.

Turning to the country's health system, Biden announced that prescription

drug

prices

should fall in the

medium term

.

In another domestic political digression, the 46th President of the United States identified

right-wing extremist terrorism

as the greatest terrorist threat to his country.

The US secret services would come to this conclusion.

Here, too, he is looking for a sharp contrast to his predecessor Trump, who had by no means avoided proximity to nationalist and right-wing groups.

In this context, Biden called for bipartisan efforts to overcome

structural racism

. "We've all seen the knee of injustice on the neck of black America," Biden said, referring to the killing of African American George Floyd last year. A now convicted white ex-police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for minutes.

He also referred to

the ongoing

issue of rampant

gun violence

and the constant availability of firearms.

"I will do everything in my power to protect the American people from this gun violence epidemic," Biden said.

But he also knows that he will meet bitter resistance from his political opponents and that no tightening of gun law is to be expected.

Due to Corona, the hall was only moderately full

The address marks the end of Biden's first 100 days in office.

The first speech by a newly elected US president at a joint session of the House of Representatives and Senate in the US Capitol does not count as a State of the Union address, which is otherwise annually.

Biden has been president since January 20th.

Biden's speech took place under special conditions due to the corona crisis.

Only around 200 members of parliament, senators, members of the government and other guests were invited.

Usually around 1,600 guests gather for speeches by the President in Congress.

After the Capitol was stormed around three and a half months ago, strict safety precautions also apply.

jok / dpa