President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. turned to familiar themes from his election campaign in his adddress to University of Delaware graduates on Saturday morning.
The president and UD graduate stopped short of announcing policy changes such as relief from the rising financial burden of student debt. There had been some speculation that Biden might address the issue in his speech. The speech was sprinkled with praise for UD and his time on campus, along with a couple of “hells and damns” in striking a more informal tone.
Biden did not touch on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russian President Putin, subjects he discussed a day earlier in addressing graduates at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.
Biden received a warm reception from those who attended the graduation at a packed Delaware Stadium on a pleasant spring day – a sharp contrast with Friday’s stormy weather.
Biden, at 79, the oldest sitting president, praised the resolve of graduates for getting through a difficult period that included the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the first full-fledged UD graudaation ceremony in three years.
“Darkness will not prevail over light,” Biden told graduates, adding that they are at an “inflection point in history” similar to the turbulent period that led up to the American Civil War.
Biden did not name names, but pointed to the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn his election victory. Former President Donald Trump continues to claim, without evidence, the election was stolen. He asked attendees to imagine their reaction if the British Parliament was stormed.
Biden, whose popularity ratings have dropped since his inauguration said he is more optimistic than ever about the nation, thanks in part t to a UD graduating class that comes with fewer prejudices than past generations.
He also vowed to continue to fight for voter rights and a woman’s right to choose as the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the Roe vs. Wade abortion decision that has been in place for half a century. Voting rights legislation has stalled in Congress with states adding restrictions that critics claim are intended to dampen turnout, especially among Black and other minority voters.
Biden turned to his decision to run for president, again citing the tiki torch march by white supremacists in Chalottesville, VA as a deciding factor.
“You can’t eliminate hate.” said Biden, adding that he has learned that it simply hides until dark forces bring it back into the open.
Biden said he will leave Delaware on Sunday to travel to Uvalde, Texas, scene of a school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Earlier this month, he flew to Buffalo, NY, after a gunman with suspected white supremacist leanings, gun down predominately Black shoppers in a grocery store.
He urged Americans to “see each other, not as enemies, but as neighbors,” citing his friendship with the late Sen. John McCain.While known to shout at one another over their differing political views, Biden said they loved one another.
Biden – a graduate of Archmere Academy, a Catholic high school, near Wilmington – praised UD for giving him the confidence to move forward, although he never imagined becoming president.
