In a grim speech to the nation as the United States surpassed half a million coronavirus deaths on Monday, Joe Biden called on the country to unite in its battle against the virus.
“I ask all Americans to remember those we lost and those we left behind. But, as we all remember, I also ask that we act, that we remain vigilant, that we remain socially distant, that we will mask, be vaccinated when it is your turn, ”said the president in his speech at the White House.
Biden used the speech to urge Americans to overcome partisanship and follow public health guidelines as his government runs to distribute vaccines and end the pandemic.
Biden was previously criticized for being too cautious about setting targets for vaccine distribution, but the government said it has increased vaccination rates to 1.7 million a day and is on track to exceed its goal of giving 100 meters of injection in the first few 100 days after administration.
The president’s speech on Monday, however, did not focus on metrics. Instead, Biden focused on the loss that Americans felt because of the pandemic and on the broader theme of unity – something that Biden emphasized throughout his campaign.
“We must end the policy of disinformation that divided families, communities and the country; it has already cost many lives, ”continued Biden in his speech. “It is not Democrats or Republicans who are dying of the virus. They are our American countrymen, they are our neighbors. They are our friends, our mothers, our fathers, our daughters, husbands, wives. We have to fight it together as one people, like the United States of America. That is the only way to beat this virus, I promise you. “
Biden’s speech was ended by solemn rituals to honor the 500,000 deaths. Before his speech, the National Cathedral rang its bells 500 times; then the president joined First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff outside the White House, where they watched a moment of silence surrounded by 500 candles.
The Biden administration’s approach to dealing with the pandemic is markedly different from the Trump administration. Where Trump routinely disregarded the severity of the virus, Biden’s team organized several events to recognize its severity, including a prime-time speech, a memorial service and a moment of silence. Biden and his team emphasized the importance of remembering how terrible the pandemic is.
“As a nation, we cannot accept such a cruel fate. Although we have been fighting this pandemic for so long, we have to resist becoming insensitive to sadness, ”said Biden.
The US has recorded the worst number of deaths in any country in the world, but there are promising signs ahead. Hospitalizations dropped more than 50% across the country last month and, as of Sunday, more than 13% of the US population received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine.
Biden’s speech spoke to that optimism, saying that America and the world would overcome the pandemic.
“Let this not be a story of how far we have fallen, but how far we have risen. We can do that, ”said Biden.
“This nation will smile again. This nation will experience sunny days again. This nation will experience joy again, and in doing so, we will remember each person we lost, the lives they lived, the loved ones they left behind. We will get over it, I promise you. “