Joe Biden Speech Transcript Before Holidays December 22

Joe Biden: (00:00) Good afternoon, everyone. Before I take questions, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. This has been one of the toughest years we've ever faced as a nation, and the pandemic, the economic crisis, calls for racial justice, historic and punishing wildfires and storms. So this season of reflection carries a much deeper meaning than it usually does. Over 320,000 lives lost to this virus. And Jill and I send our prayers as I'm sure all of you do to all who are facing this dark winter with an empty seat at the dinner table, where a loved one used to sit and talk and laugh and reminisce. Our hearts go out to all of you who have fallen on hard times, through no fault of your own, I might add. Unable to sleep at night, weighed down with the worry of what tomorrow will bring for you and for your family. Joe Biden: (01:03) We're especially grateful for the healthcare workers on the front lines, the scientists, the researchers, the clinical trial participants on the front lines of the vaccine who deserve our thanks and who delivered a scientific breakthrough. And for all of you who have deployed family, deployed family members in the military. We know what it's like. We know what that experience is like, how difficult it can be, especially at this time of the year. Our family knows your sacrifice and our hearts are always with you. But keep the faith. Joe Biden: (01:41) Throughout this year, we had to forgo many of our favorite holiday traditions we have as families, as communities, and as a country. For the Bidens, we usually have 20 to 25 family members over for Christmas dinner. And then the immediate family, 14 of our kids and grandkids and their spouses for coming down the stairs on Christmas morning. But not this year. Like we did over Thanksgiving, we all have to care enough for each other that we have to stay apart just a little bit longer. I know it's hard. We have a long way to go, but we're grateful that we've got the vaccine. And yesterday in an effort to instill some confidence in the vaccine, I had my shot administered in public. And I got a chance to thank all those nurses and docs at Christiana Hospital for what they've been putting up with and doing for so long. Joe Biden: (02:37) I look forward to the second shot and I have absolute confidence in the vaccine. But we're in short supply. Taking the vaccine from a vial into the arm of millions of Americans is one of the biggest operational challenges the United States has ever faced. We're 300 million people, and we're going to take many more months for that to happen. In the meantime, this pandemic rages on. Experts say things are going to get worse before they get better, not withstanding the fact we have the vaccine. As you all know, we're averaging a death rate of close to 3000 people a day. That means we're going to lose tens of thousands of more lives in the months to come. And the vaccine won't be able to stop that. Joe Biden: (03:29) So we'll still have to remain vigilant. We need everyone to mask up, stay socially distanced, avoid large gatherings, particularly inside. We need to work in a bipartisan way. That's the only way we're going to get through this, in tough times. We have our first hint and glimpse of bipartisanship. I applaud the Congress their economic relief package that included funding for vaccine distribution, much needed temporary relief for workers, families, and small businesses. Joe Biden: (04:03) In this election, the American people made it clear they want us to reach across the aisle and work together on matters of national concern to get something done. And I believed that to be the case from the very beginning of my campaign. And I'm happy to see members of Congress heeding that message as well from their own constituents. Leaders in both House and Senate, both parties, deserve credit for making the hard compromises to get this done. But like all compromises it's far from perfect, but it does provide vital relief at a critical moment. Joe Biden: (04:41) However, as I've said all along, this bill is just the first step, a down payment, in addressing the crisis, the crises, more than one, that we're in. There are a lot more work to do. Early next year, I'm going to put forward to the Congress my plans for what comes next. We'll need more help to fully distribute the vaccine. We're going to need more testing in order to be able to open our schools. We need more funding to help firefighters and police, many of whom are being laid off as I speak. And the same with nurses, risking their lives in the front lines. The same for millions of hurting families who are unable to put food on the table, pay rent, or the mortgage. Unemployment's extended for another 10 weeks. It's going to take a lot longer than that. But Congress did its job this week, and I can and I must ask them to do it again next year. But even with the changes in approach I'm going to put in place in late January, people are still going to be getting sick and dying from COVID. One thing I promise you about my leadership during this crisis, I'm going to tell it to you straight. I'm going to tell you the truth. And here's the simple truth. Joe Biden: (06:06) Our darkest days in the battle against COVID are ahead of us, not behind us. So we need to prepare ourselves, to steel our spines. As frustrating as it is to hear, it's going to take patience, persistence, and determination to beat this virus. There will be no time to waste in taking the steps we need to turn this crisis around. My administration will start to do it's part on our first day in office, with masking requirements, a new strategy for testing, accelerated protection, protective gear. And we're going to challenge Congress and the American people to step up immediately as well to do their part. Passing the relief bill passed by Congress is another challenge which my administration will confront, on a bipartisan basis. Joe Biden: (07:01) A massive cyber security breach against the US companies, many of them, as well as federal agencies. And there's still so much we don't know, including the full scope of the breach or the extent of the damage it has caused. But we know this much, this attack constitutes a grave risk to our national security. It was carefully planned and carefully orchestrated. It was carried out by using sophisticated cyber tools. The attackers succeeded in catching the federal government off guard and unprepared. Foreign actors have been working on this breach since late last year, at least last year, setting the landscape to compromise our systems, scraping up sensitive information from our world-class tech sector and from private businesses and from United States government agencies. Joe Biden: (08:03) The truth is this, the Trump Administration failed to prioritize cyber security. It did that from eliminating or downgrading cyber coordinators in both the White House and at the State Department, to firing the Director of Cyberspace and Infrastructure Security Agency, to President Trump's irrational downplaying of the seriousness of this attack. Enough's enough. In an age when so much of our lives are conducted online, cyber attacks must be treated as a serious threat by our leadership at the highest levels. We can't let this go unanswered. That means making clear and publicly who was responsible for the attack and taking meaningful steps to hold them in account. Initial indications, including from Secretary Pompeo, Secretary of State, and Attorney General William Barr, suggest that Russia, Russia is responsible for this... Joe Biden: (09:03) Russia. Russia is responsible for this breach. It certainly fits Russia's long history of reckless, disruptive cyber activities, but the Trump administration needs to make an official attribution. This assault happened on Donald Trump's watch, when he wasn't watching. It's still has responsibility as President to defend American interests for the next four weeks. But rest assured, that even if he does not take it seriously, I will. While I'm disappointed by the response of President Trump. I was pleased to see leaders in both parties in the Congress, speak out loudly and clearly on this attack. Again, I want to thank prominent Republicans in the Senate, particularly, for speaking out. It's a sign, a sign that with a new administration, we can confront these threats on a bipartisan basis with a united front here at home. Joe Biden: (10:04) That should be encouraging to the American people and a warning to our adversaries. In the meantime, the President's team for the next four weeks need to cooperate fully, which they haven't been doing, to share information as it becomes available on both the impact and our response, to ensure a smooth transition to protect the American people as administrations change. Over the next month, I intend to continue focusing on building my team, so that the right people are in place on day one of my administration, to take over this effort, to prioritize cyber security across the board. I'll consult with experts to plan for the steps that my administration will take in order to secure our systems, improve our cyber defenses and to better withstand future attacks that we know will come and to impose costs on those who conduct them. Joe Biden: (11:06) I fully expect bipartisan support from this, based on what we've heard so far. Our adversaries are highly capable. Cyber threats are among the greatest threats to our global security in the 21st century. I believe we have to treat them with the same seriousness of purpose that we treated threats of other unconventional weapons. We have to work with our allies to establish clear international rules and mechanisms to enforce them, and consequences for those countries that violate them. I want to close with this. As I look at the first of what will be millions of vaccinations going in the arms of Americans after 100s, 1000s of lives lost, Congress, finally passing an economic relief package after months and months of delay, at a new urgency for bipartisan approach to cybersecurity, after years of a President who refused to stand up to our adversaries and hold them accountable, I'm reminded of a quote, this season from a Jesuit Priest named Alfred Delp. Joe Biden: (12:17) He wrote, "Advent is a time for rousing." Delp believed, at first, we are shaken to our depths, and then we're ready for a season of hope. As a nation, we've certainly been shaken to our depths this year. Now it's time to wake, to get moving, a time for hope. We've gotten through tough times before in this nation. We'll get through these difficult times as well. We'll do it by coming together, by working with one another, by being ... You've heard me say many times what we are at our best, the United States of America. There are certain things that rise way above partisan differences, that threaten the United States. There are national security interests. I require us to cooperate and I'm confident, I'm confident we'll be able to do that. Joe Biden: (13:15) After a year of pain and loss, it's time to unite, to heal, to rebuild. For all those who are suffering right now, that enormous loss and lie awake at night wondering what tomorrows bring, I'd say, "Well, God bless you all, and I promise you, we're going to continue to push as hard as we can to finish the job." May God bless you all. May God protect our troops. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all. Now I'd be happy to take some questions. Megan, I'll let you tell me who's- Megan: (13:55) [inaudible 00:13:55] Reporter 1: (14:01) Thank you, Mr. President Elect. President Obama once referred to this emerging cyber battlefield as the wild west. President Trump in commenting on this most recent breach said the situation was well under control. Given what you just said about this, that it represents a grave risk, do you believe it also represents an act of war, and will you respond in kind if so? Joe Biden: (14:23) The answer is, first of all, it is a grave risk and it continues. I see no evidence that it's under control. I've seen none, heard of none. The Defense Department won't even brief us on many things. I know of nothing that suggests it's under control. This President has even identified who's responsible yet. Number two, the question of the damage done, remains to be determined. We have to look at it very closely, the nature of the breaches, how extensive they are and what damage has been done. Thirdly, there's going to be a necessity, as President Obama and I, and our administration talked about, we need international society, international rules of the road on cyber security. We have to bring along our allies and our friends, so we hold everyone accountable who breaches any of these basic fundamental rules. Lastly, I believe that when I learned the extent of the damage and in fact who is formally responsible, they can be assured that we will respond and probably respond in kind. There's many options, which I will not discuss now. Reporter 1: (15:47) Why not lay out those options publicly though? Isn't part of the issue here, deterrence, and the fact that Russia felt some impunity, if it is indeed Russia, to do what they've done here? Joe Biden: (15:57) We have not done that in any other areas where we have faced international crises. We don't sit here and say that we're going to strike you with a nuclear weapon. We don't sit, and we're going to say, and so on. Let us determine what the extent of the damage is, and I promise you, they're be a response. Reporter 1: (16:18) On another issue, Sir, as you know, the run-off elections in Georgia could well determine whether there's a Democratic Senate in January or a Republican Senate in January. Are you waiting for the outcome of those two races to make some of the final selections for your cabinet, including the Attorney General, the most significant outstanding Cabinet Secretary you have to pick? Joe Biden: (16:39) No, not based on the Attorney General. It's just a matter of getting to it and through it and being able to announce them all. They'll all be announced either just before or just after. We're going to make an announcement tomorrow. We may have another announcement between then and Christmas, and New Year's. We're just working through all of the efforts to do due diligence. Reporter 1: (17:01) Lastly, has the issue of the investigation of your son come up in discussions with your team and with potential candidates about the Attorney General? Joe Biden: (17:08) No. I guarantee you I'm going to do what I said. The Attorney General of the United States of America is not the President's lawyer. I will appoint someone who I expect to enforce the law as the law is written, not guided by me. Reporter 1: (17:26) Thank you, sir. Megan: (17:27) [inaudible 00:00:17:35]. Reporter 2: (17:35) Thank you, Mr. President Elect. There is growing concern today about that new variant of COVID-19 sweeping across the UK. Should the United States right now, impose a travel ban on flights coming in from the UK> Joe Biden: (17:49) As you know, there already is one, unrelated to finding that new strain, number one. The question is, whether or not, at the very least, it only allows Americans coming home to be able to come- Joe Biden: (18:03) It only allows Americans coming home to be able to come back to the states, citizens. One of the things I'm waiting to get a response from my COVID team is whether or not we should require testing before they get on an aircraft to fly home, number one. Number two, when they get home, should they quarantine? That's my instinct, but I'm waiting to hear from my experts right now. Speaker 1: (18:24) You talked about how you want to propose a new COVID relief plan when you do take office. Joe Biden: (18:29) Yes. Speaker 1: (18:29) It took more than six months for Congress to reach this new deal. Americans are suffering at this moment. How can you assure Americans that relief will come, and come soon? Joe Biden: (18:41) You all asked the most interesting questions. Have you ever known anyone in the history of the United States of America that could be president and assure exactly what the Congress is going to do? I can't assure anything, but I can tell you what I expect. I fully expect on those critical issues that we're facing, number one, being able to get all the work we need done and all the funding to be able to get that vaccine in everyone's arm, and that's 300 million people. We'll get that done because you're going to see that the responsibility has already been recognized by the Republicans and Democrats in the Congress, because the constituency is going to demand it. Number one. Joe Biden: (19:23) Number two, all those people are out there hurting, have lost jobs through no fault of their own, they've extended unemployment for 10 weeks. Simply not sufficient. Necessary to get it done to get through the holidays, but I predict you we'll get cooperation and get that done. I've been arguing from the very beginning and told how ... I love it. It makes me sound so much younger, how naive I am about how the Congress works. I think I've been proven right across the board. The things that are left to deal with from unemployment to people needing unemployment insurance to the ability to have access to healthcare, the ability to get this treatment for free, et cetera, all of that is something that the public is not going to stand for us not doing. And I think with Donald Trump not in the way, that will also enhance the prospect of things getting done. Speaker 1: (20:17) Well, your plan included a new round of stimulus checks to the American people? And if, so for how much? Joe Biden: (20:22) Well look, that's a negotiated issue, but it will. Yes, it will. And I think, by the way, I think we owe Bernie Sanders and his Republican colleagues the thanks for getting not all the stimulus we looked for, 1200, but getting 600 done. I think you're seeing that there is a clear understanding that these issues go beyond any ideology. People are desperately hurting and the Republicans are hurting as badly as Democrats. There are a few people, and I'm not saying they're responsible for any of this, but a few people are doing extremely well in that K shaped recovery. And they're doing fine. But they still need access to the vaccines. They still need access to making sure that we are able to handle crises in the hospitals, et cetera. So I think on the things relating to A, vaccine distribution, which is going to cost billions more dollars, is simply going to cost billions more dollars. We need national standards, the layout to help governors to start how they're going to get that vaccine throughout their communities, number one. Joe Biden: (21:31) Number two, we're going to need to take care of those people who through no fault of their own are unemployed. They've worked like hell, but they have no job because of the COVID crisis. And thirdly, we're going to have to begin to rebuild the country. We can't wait. We can't wait to rebuild the economy. And we're going to have to start doing that now on infrastructure programs and a whole range of other things. I think sort of the dawn is broken on the vast majority of people. There are still people who don't want to help. There's still people who are insisting my way or the highway. But the vast majority of the members of the Congress, I believe, will be able to work out those specific issues that are of national consequence. Speaker 1: (22:13) Thank you, Mr. President Elect. Joe Biden: (22:26) Thank you. Speaker 2: (22:27) Mr. President Elect, thank you. Joe Biden: (22:27) Thank you. Speaker 2: (22:28) I'm still not sure if I heard you say specifically those, sir, what is your ask of the Congress? In just one month's time, what is your ask of the Congress? After you have watched over these many months, when people in your party as well did not necessarily act as quickly as some Americans would have liked, what is your ask, sir? Joe Biden: (22:49) My ask will be laid out there in detail, but it relates to four things. Number one, making sure we have all the money we need to get the vaccine to 300 million Americans at a minimum over the next year, the next calendar year. Number one. Number two, making sure that all those people who are unemployed through no fault of their own because of the COVID crisis, small businesses and big businesses, et cetera, shutting down, that they continue to be able to live day to day. They don't engage in food shortages. They're not in a position where they get thrown out of their homes. I would also be asking for a moratorium on being evicted from your homes for failure to pay rent, moratoriums on relating to the issue of whether or not your mortgage would be paid. Joe Biden: (23:37) Thirdly, I think it's critically important. We provide all of the PPE as well as the direct payments to small bid businesses and others to be able to stay open, to be able to keep their people employed. That is something that's going to increase as time moves. And lastly, we're going to need to make sure that we're in a position that we can provide for the opportunity or for people to begin to go back to work and get new jobs, developing infrastructure. Speaker 2: (24:07) Given the narrow majorities in the House and Senate, you've watched many administrations come and go. Do you believe that you will have a honeymoon to get things right? Joe Biden: (24:16) I don't think it's a honeymoon at all. I think it's a nightmare that everybody's going through and they all say it's got to end. It's not a honeymoon. They're not doing me a favor. I'll ask you a rhetorical question. I don't expect you to answer. And that is, do you think that Republicans were losing their businesses? Do you think Republican constituents out there who can't pay their mortgage, do you think they're not letting their Republican representatives know they got a problem? Do you think the person who just lost a family member and is worried about losing another one who happens to be a Republican, a staunch Republican, isn't telling his or her Republican Senator or state representative, "You've got to help. You've got to get something done"? Do you think all those people who are making judgements of whether or not my child will be able to go to school and I have to stay home and I can't go to work therefore I have no income are all Democrats? Joe Biden: (25:07) I think there's just been a dawning here. And look, you have a different team in town. You have a different team in town. I'm not going to villainize the opposition, but I'm going to stand and say, "This is what we got to do." Because they know it. They know it. It's not like I'm saying what we want to do is we want to make sure that we are going to sign a new trade agreement with A, B or C. This is life and death. That's why I believe we'll get it done. Speaker 2: (25:38) Sir, can I ask a follow-up to the Attorney General decision? You and President Obama selected Eric Holder on December 1st. Every recent president has selected their Attorney General by this point. What is taking you so long to make this critical decision? And do you believe that this is a time in the post-Trump era where you need someone who is not steeped in politics, who may have a life's work above or beyond politics? Joe Biden: (26:05) The answer is, first of all, we've gone faster than everybody in the total cabinet. So we- Speaker 2: (26:10) Not President Obama and yourself, sir. Joe Biden: (26:12) The whole cabinet? Speaker 2: (26:13) The whole cabinet. Joe Biden: (26:14) Whole cabinet? Speaker 2: (26:15) Well, there were a few missteps on commerce, as you remember, but ... Joe Biden: (26:17) I do. I didn't want to raise them though. But look, we're looking for a team who will instill the greatest confidence in the professionals at DOJ to know once again that there is no politics, there's no politics. As you know, there's been a great debate about in every single appointment, whether or not people there are enough African-Americans, enough Hispanics, enough Asian Pacific Americans, enough people who are new and young. So we're just working through it. It's not by design. There's not an obvious choice in my mind. Speaker 2: (27:03) Thank you, sir- Joe Biden: (27:03) There's not an obvious choice in my mind. Speaker 3: (27:03) Thank you, sir. Joe Biden: (27:04) Thank you. Speaker 3: (27:05) Merry Christmas. Joe Biden: (27:05) Merry Christmas. Speaker 4: (27:10) Hi, Mr. President-Elect. Joe Biden: (27:12) Hey. Speaker 4: (27:14) You just spoke about your confidence that it'll be possible to get things done once President Trump has left office. Joe Biden: (27:22) Excuse me. Not just because he's left office, because it's all becoming obvious exactly what's at stake. Speaker 4: (27:29) Right. But even so, are you concerned about the effects long term that his presidency, and now in the transition his refusal to concede, his challenges to the election, will have on American politics, will have on the Republican party, especially if he does take the step of filing for reelection next month to run in 2024? Are you concerned about him lingering around? I see you smiling, but I still have to ask it. And kind of a corollary to that, would you consider filing for reelection early next year to show that you're not going to be a lame duck? Joe Biden: (28:07) I'm like a real lame duck. Just watch me. Just watch me. I've been saying this from the very beginning. Look, let's just get the work, from this point on for the next several years, there is one objective. And it's not my political future, it's bettering the circumstances for the average American. That's what it's all about. And I want to communicate to the American people what I hope they already understand about me. It's about them, it's not about me. It's not about me. Speaker 3: (28:36) But still, do you think that the climate will be different after President Trump than it was before him? Joe Biden: (28:42) Well, we'll see. I don't know. I mean, I'm not a fortune teller, but I can tell you that the calls I've gotten from sitting Republicans in powerful positions, they know me. They know I level with them. They know I never mislead. They know I tell them the truth. And they know I don't go out of my way to try to embarrass. Speaker 4: (29:03) And in terms of the transition, are there areas where the Trump team has not been cooperative that have not been made public? We've heard a bit about the issues at the Pentagon last week. Are there other areas that you think the public should be aware of? Joe Biden: (29:18) There are other areas. I'm not sure it's relevant whether the public should be aware of. Look, what I'm trying to do is pull together the political parties that are in the Congress that know that we're facing four serious crises. And we have to address all of them. None of us will get all we want, but we can make real progress. And so my focus is on uniting, not emphasizing the divisions. Thank you. Speaker 4: (29:57) Thank you. Speaker 5: (29:57) Thank you, Mr. President-elect. Russia, as you said, is suspected of carrying out this massive cyber hack. You said it happened under President Donald Trump's watch, but of course in January '21, it will then, of course, land on your doorstep. My question is what are the- Joe Biden: (30:14) Let's get something straight, will land on my doorstep. His failure will land on my doorstep. Speaker 5: (30:17) Yes. Joe Biden: (30:18) Okay. Speaker 5: (30:19) What are the practical implications of overseeing a government where experts say it could take years to know where the hackers went and years to remove them? How can you ensure that the systems will be safe given what experts are saying? Joe Biden: (30:32) I can't ensure it, but I can demand, based on the experts both here and among our allies, what is needed to find that out. It may cost literally billions of dollars to secure our cyberspace. It may take a great deal to get it done. First and foremost, it takes people who are knowledgeable and vigilant about what is happening and how it's happening. And so I'm just going to do all that need be done. All that need be done to determine, A, the extent of the damage. B, the nature of how it occurred. C, what I should be doing internally in terms of my administration to protect against it in the future. And number four, getting together with our allies to try to set up an international system of what constitutes appropriate behavior in cyberspace and get us all to get to the point where we all hold any other country liable for their breaking out of those basic roles. Speaker 5: (31:34) And just to be clear, at the top of that, did you say you couldn't ensure that the systems would be safe when you came into office then? Joe Biden: (31:39) Of course I can't. I don't know what the state of them is. They're clearly not safe right now. And then between now and January 20th, the likelihood of my being able to garner all the information, the extent and depth of the violations, exactly how the codes or how were breached, what was breached, what was done, is not within my power to do that. But it will be an overwhelming focus for my administration. Speaker 5: (32:05) And my other question is on immigration. I was just reading about the fact that officials in your transition, Jake Sullivan, Susan Rice, they say you won't be immediately rolling back Trump immigration policies. And I expressed immediately. There are some immigration advocates who say, "Why not roll back the Remain in Mexico policy? Why not roll back the asylum restrictions?" What is your timeline for rolling back some of the specific Trump administration immigration policies? Joe Biden: (32:33) I already started discussing these issues with the president of Mexico and our friends in Latin America. And the timeline is to do it so that we, in fact, make it better, not worse. The last thing we need is to say we're going to stop immediately the access to asylum the way it's being run and end up with two million people on our border. It's a matter of setting up the guardrails so we can move the direction. I will accomplish what I said I would do, a much more humane policy based on family unification. But it requires getting a lot in place and requires getting the funding to get it in place, including just asylum judges, for example. So it's a matter of it will get done and it will get done quickly. But it's not going to be able to be done on day one, lift every restriction that exists and find out that and go back to what it was 20 years ago and all of a sudden find out we have a crisis on our hand that complicates what we're trying to do. Speaker 5: (33:38) What would you say to immigration advocates then who say maybe you're possibly dragging your feet and it might take too long? It sounds like you're saying you need to be patient. Joe Biden: (33:46) I say trust me. Look at me. I've never told them anything I haven't done. I'm working with them now. We're dealing with some of those very organizations as we speak. And I will do what I said. It's going to take not day one, it's going to take probably the next six months to put that in place. Speaker 5: (34:03) Thank you so much. Joe Biden: (34:04) Thank you. Merry Christmas, everybody. Thank you. Speaker 6: (34:07) Mr. President-elect, do you still think that the stories from the fall about your son Hunter were rightly disinformation and smear campaign, like you said? Joe Biden: (34:20) Yes, yes, yes. God love you, man. You're a one horse pony. I tell you. Thank you. Thank you. I promise you, my Justice Department will be totally on its own in making its judgments about how they should proceed. Thank you.