Watch your mouth, Mr. President! Rather than the loose lips that can sink ships, Biden could have expressed his concern about a number of troubling things on his agenda. Out of nowhere, it seems, he chose his California visit to excoriate China, even as his Secretary of State was extending an olive branch.
Hey, Mr. Biden—Instead of talking about foreign policy, this was a moment to extend your remarks about Juneteenth, putting a personal touch on the White House announcement the other day.
Some of the good stuff that the president announced at the beginning of the holiday bears repeating: “Importantly, making Juneteenth a federal holiday was only one part of my administration’s efforts to advance racial equity and ensure that America lives up to its highest ideals. With the expansion of the Child Tax Credit under the American Rescue Plan, we cut Black child poverty by half. From historic laws in my Investing in America agenda—in infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and clean energy, and lower prescription drug costs—to historic investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, our nation is in the midst of rebuilding an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, instead of the top down. As a result, Black unemployment has been at a historic low and we are increasing access to affordable homeownership for Black Americans and combating bias in the home appraisal process.
“We are building a federal bench that looks like America, with more Black women confirmed as circuit court judges than every other president combined.
“I have taken action on marijuana reform by pardoning prior District of Columbia and federal simple marijuana possession offenses and directed a review of marijuana scheduling. With the support of families, civil rights leaders, and law enforcement, I signed a historic Executive Order on police reform at the federal level. And we passed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years.
“My administration’s student debt relief plan that would provide $10,000 in relief for eligible borrowers and $20,000 in relief for borrowers who received Pell Grants is a critical step forward—among Black undergraduate borrowers, 70 percent received a Pell Grant.
“And in this Administration, we make it clear that history matters. Black history and Black stories will not be erased, denied, or banned from our nation’s conscience, no matter how hard people may try.”
These are the kind of words the nation needs to hear again and again. Please, Mr. President, stay on script, particularly if your comments are akin to the statement about the importance of Juneteenth.