(The Center Square) – President Joe Biden released a farewell letter to the nation Wednesday as he finishes the final days of his presidency.
Biden is expected to address the nation in a farewell speech Wednesday evening.
In the letter, Biden framed his presidency as one where he stepped into a nation in chaos during the “winter of peril.” Biden pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic, economic difficulties, and the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, comparing it to the dangers of the Civil War.
Biden amplified familiar rhetoric, calling “Jan. 6 the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.”
“But we came together as Americans, and we braved through it,” Biden said. “We emerged stronger, more prosperous, and more secure.”
Biden touted a string of accomplishments, from helping veteran who were exposed to toxic materials to lowering violent crime.
“The racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years,” Biden said. “We’re rebuilding our entire nation – urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal communities. Manufacturing is coming back to America. We’re leading the world again in science and innovation, including the semiconductor industry. And we finally beat Big Pharma to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors.”
The outgoing president touted other policy wins and avoided his failures, like the chaotic and deadly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan or the illegal immigration crisis.
Along with the letter, the White House included a lengthy list of accomplishments. On inflation, another defining problem of his tenure, Biden’s staff took credit for helping lower prices.
Biden referred to a common motif in his speeches in recent years: the soul of America. He referred to America’s “soul” three times in the letter.
“I ran for president because I believed that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake,” Biden said. “And, that’s still the case. America is an idea stronger than any army and larger than any ocean. It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We’ve never fully lived up to this sacred idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either. And I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.”
Biden ended the letter by emphasizing the power of the American people.
“History is in your hands,” Biden said. “The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. We just have to keep the faith and remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there is simply nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.”