The president of the United States, Joe Biden, on Monday claimed a “patriotism with principles” to guarantee the continuity of the country during the celebration of Independence Day, in an event with the military at the White House.
Biden admitted that “the project” of the United States “has fallen short in many ways”, but that a patriotism “that puts the aspirations of the majority ahead of the ambitions of a few” is the the only way to ensure its continuity.
Although the president did not expressly refer to the recent Supreme Court ruling on abortion, he did say that “recently, there have been reasons to think that this country is going behind, that freedom has been reduced, that rights that we thought were protected are no longer.”
Biden has already criticized on previous occasions the decision of the US Supreme Court d e eliminate the constitutional protection of abortion, in force for nearly 50 years, even advocating the elimination of the parliamentary obstruction rule in the Senate to approve a law that protects abortion while Democrats maintain control of both houses of Congress.
He also made reference to the mass shooting this morning in the town of Highland Park, near Chicago, Illinois, where a young man of 22 years identified as Robert “Bobby” Crimo III would have shot into a crowd, killing six people and injuring at least others 28.
“Everyone has heard what happened today. Every day we are reminded that our democracy is not guaranteed, that our way of life is not guaranteed. We have to defend it. We have to earn it,” said the president.
Biden recalled the minimum agreement between Democratic and Republican senators that has led to the approval of the largest firearms control law in 30 years after another mass shooting, in Uvalde, Texas, left 19 children and two teachers who died a little over a month ago.
He also defended the robustness of the US economy, although he admitted the “challenge” represented by high inflation in the country, runaway for months and seriously affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Even so, the president assured to look to the future with hope, and opined that the divisions among Americans that “concern” many of his fellow citizens are less than what unites them.