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President Joe Biden first addressed Congress late Wednesday evening.

His address offered a social democratic rebuilding program for America with populist sprinkles.

Typical

: “Thank you, thank you, thank you”, Biden began his address in the windowless hall of the House of Representatives in the Capitol.

The triple thanks is a real Biden.

Looking at the senators present, he said, "It's good to be back." Once, Biden was a senator himself, from 1973 to 2009. As a senator, he heard various presidents in the same place, including Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George HW and George W. Bush.

Remarkable

: For the first time, two women presided over a presidential speech before both chambers of Congress: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Vice-President Kamala Harris. Biden paid tribute to this premiere (“it's about time”). Biden once presided in the same place - during his vice-presidency. Due to Covid, only about 200 people were in the hall, including the Head of the Supreme Courtes, John Roberts, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Loyd Austin. Otherwise there are around 500 people in the hall at the annual presidential speeches. This time there were hardly any guests, fewer journalists. Sitting in the stands included First Lady Jill Biden and the Vice President's husband, "Second Gentleman" Doug Emhoff. The speech was not an official "State of the Union" address, this is unusual in the year of inaugurations.The first “State of the Union” speech should be given by Biden in early 2022.

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history

: Biden tried to put the beginning of his term of office - on Thursday 100 days ago - in a great historical context.

He inherited “a nation in crisis” when he took office on January 20, Biden said: “The worst pandemic in a century.

The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

The worst attack on our democracy since the civil war. ”By this he meant the storming of the Capitol on January 6th, during which intruders had also entered this room.

Today he could say to the nation: “America is on the move again.” Put hope over fear, truth over lies, light over darkness.

Biden said, “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. "

Main topics

: the fight against Covid, the recovery of the economy and: new jobs.

Or, as Biden said, “crises and opportunities”.

He referred to 220 million vaccinations in the first 100 days of a term of office, shouting to the people: "Get vaccinated!" While 43 percent of Americans have received at least one vaccination, the regional differences are immense.

Some southern states only have a good 30 percent.

Humor

: Not foreseen in this speech.

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Slip:

"When I was President ...", Biden started to improve immediately: "When I was Vice President ..." Biden's slip of the tongue is legendary. In this 65-minute speech, however, they kept within limits. Biden sometimes used his phrase "look", but avoided other favorite words. “Jobs, jobs, jobs” came up as so often. And of course, as usual, he once remembered his father.

Populism

: Biden's speech offered an almost social democratic development program for America with populist sprinkles. He asked for a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour. Those who work 40 hours a week shouldn't live below the poverty line, said Biden. Some sentences recalled his campaign appearances, for example: “Wall Street did not build this country, but the middle class.” Biden promised more jobs as a result of the two-trillion-dollar infrastructure program he proposed.

He immediately presented another financial package for families, it should amount to 1.8 trillion dollars. But who should pay for all of this? The rich and the corporations, was Biden's answer. Up to an annual income of $ 400,000 nobody should expect tax increases. On the other hand, it is time the richest one percent of Americans paid their "fair share". According to a new study, "55 of the nation's largest corporations paid no federal income tax in the past year" - all while making more than $ 40 billion in profits. The President wants to change that. Biden, who once spared Wall Street and messed around with credit card companies in his home state of Delaware, is now the leftist reformer. Biden wants to expand infrastructure and social programs with billions,to tie in with Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal".

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Knapp

: "Proud" - Jill Biden tweeted as her husband stepped over to the lectern.

Joe Biden approached her later, thanked her, said, "Jill is a community college professor who teaches as First Lady today."

Optimism

: Biden invoked, as is customary in the USA, the great successes of America in research and business.

In the next ten years, technological change will be greater than in the last 50 years, he said.

There is nothing America cannot do if you do it together.

In the foreign policy part of the speech, Biden confidently predicted: “The autocrats will not win the future.

America will.

The future will belong to America. "

Quote Theft

: "Healthcare should be a right and not a privilege in America," Biden said.

He used it, slightly varied, to use a sentence by the left Senator Bernie Sanders without identifying it.

Sanders has said in almost every speech for years: "Health care is a human right, not a privilege."

Biden complained that Americans pay “the highest prices for prescription drugs in the world”, also analogous to Sanders.

He seemed to have liked the speech.

Immediately afterwards, while still in the plenary session, Sanders spoke to Biden, clearly delighted.

Applause

: Very often, usually with a standing ovation. But only with the Democrats. Biden's clear messages to China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping met with approval from the Republicans. He told Xi, "that we welcome the competition and that we are not looking for a conflict," said Biden: "But I made it absolutely clear that I will defend American interests all along the line." America will stand up against unfair Defend against trade practices that "undermine American workers and industries". He also told Xi that the US maintained "a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific region," as it is done with NATO in Europe: "Not to start conflicts, but to prevent conflicts."

Tip against Trump:

"There is no wall high enough to keep out any virus." Biden did not even mention the name Trump.

Loan from Trump

: In his job plan, Biden referred to his motto, which is reminiscent of Trump and comes across as protectionist: "Buy American".

He announced, "American tax dollars will be used to buy American products that are made in America and create American jobs." Trump couldn't have put it nicer.

Biden also said: "American leadership means ending the eternal war in Afghanistan." Trump put it similarly two years ago in the same place.

Biden now finally wants to get serious about withdrawing all US soldiers from Afghanistan.

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Naivety

: Biden's appeal, addressed indirectly to the Republicans: "Let's end our exhausting war over immigration."

It won't come to that.

Because Republicans don't want consensus, and leftist Democrats and civil rights activists are just as uninterested in it.

with dpa