Biden’s Last Message to America Is a Dire Warning

President Joe Biden used his farewell address Wednesday evening to tell Americans to stay involved, stay informed, and beware of the ominous cloud of “oligarchy” that in his eyes is now forming.

“I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people, and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked,” Biden told America. 

“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America, of extreme wealth, power, and influence, that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. We see the consequences all across America, and we’ve seen it before, more than a century ago. But the American people stood up to the robber barons back then, and busted the trusts. They didn’t punish the wealthy, they just made the wealthy play by the rules everybody else had to.”

While Biden tactfully communicated a fundamental truth and core party principle that’s been often overlooked, many felt that Biden delivering the message in the last gasps of his presidency was emblematic of his time in office: far too little, far too late. 

“This is probably the most important speech Biden has made during his presidency—but who will hear or heed it now?” asked historian Simon Shama on X. “Against unelected billionaires and for the people ought to be the Democrats’ simple message going forward. Will they speak it?”

Others were much less favorable. 

“In 2020, there was one person worth over $100 billion. Today at the end of Biden’s term there are 16 of them,” Matt Stoller of the American Economic Liberties Project wrote, with a meme captioned, “We’re all trying to find the guy who did this,” insinuating that Biden was indeed the “guy.” 

“It kills me that this is the message Biden is delivering in his farewell address,” said Josh Miller-Lewis of A More Perfect Union. “Why wasn’t this delivered consistently for the last 4 years?”

“Biden’s Presidential Medal of Freedom awardees, with net worth, earlier this month: George Soros, $7 billion. David Rubenstein, $4 billion,” wrote ProPublica’s Alec MacGillis. 

The ultrarich have been deeply involved with modern presidential politics, even when it’s a Democrat in office. But Trump, with his billionaire Cabinet, corporate hobnobbing, and backroom hotel business deals, is openly flaunting the oligarchy. Maybe Biden is longing for the subtlety of the past. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson removed Representative Mike Turner as chair of the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday—reportedly at the behest of Donald Trump.

Two senior sources told The Daily Beast that Trump had specifically instructed Johnson to remove Turner. “Trump personally got involved and believes that Turner is basically an intel community sycophant,” said one source familiar with Turner’s ouster.

Johnson pushed back when asked whether his marching orders came from the president-elect. “This is not a President Trump decision, this is a House decision, and this is no slight whatsoever to our outgoing chairman; he did a great job, but we just, the intelligence community and everything related to [the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] is, it needs a fresh start, and that’s what this is about, nothing else,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday.

Johnson’s decision to oust Turner could be a sign of clearing the way for a more supplicant committee chair. It’s unclear exactly why Trump could be concerned about Turner, but among other things the Ohio Republican has raised the alarm about Russian propaganda “being uttered” on the House floor. He also was one Republican who certified Joe Biden’s win in 2020, marking him as an obvious operative of the so-called “deep state.”

Representative Jim Himes, a top Democrat on the committee, told reporters that he was “enormously concerned” about Turner’s removal, according to CNN’s Manu Raju. Turner’s removal “sends a shiver down my spine,” Hiimes said, adding that the Ohio Republican wasn’t quick to “bend the knee” to Trump.

Johnson is set to announce Turner’s replacement Thursday. Next in line of seniority is Representative Rick Crawford, a Republican from Arkansas, who chaired the CIA subcommittee last session, according to Punchbowl News.

Jill Biden is still hurt by Nancy Pelosi’s vote of no confidence in her husband’s reelection.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships,” the first lady said in an interview with The Washington Post published Wednesday.

“It’s been on my mind a lot lately, and we were friends for 50 years,” she said of Pelosi. “It was disappointing.”

Pelosi’s comments on Morning Joe in July 2024, in the midst of questions about Biden’s mental health after a horrendous debate performance, were far from an endorsement.

“It’s up for the president to decide if he’s going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short,” she said at the time. “I want him to do whatever he decides to do.”

Pelosi told The New Yorker in August that the president hadn’t spoken to her since he dropped out of the race. When asked if their friendship could survive, Pelosi said, “I hope so. I pray so. I cry so.”

The ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel announced Wednesday won’t take effect until Sunday, January 19, just before Donald Trump’s inauguration the next day. That does not appear to be a coincidence.

Since being elected, Trump has warned on multiple occasions that an agreement should come before his inauguration, saying that there will be “hell to pay” or “all hell will break out.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made no secret of his preference for Trump in the 2024 election, either, and Israel’s ceasefire with Lebanon was likely a gift from Netanyahu as well.

The timing of the ceasefire is a reminder of a similar situation faced by President Jimmy Carter in the final days of his presidency in 1980, as negotiations were underway to free American hostages in Iran. Ultimately, the hostages were deliberately released the day Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president, thanks to the efforts of the Reagan campaign.

With the release taking place this late, Trump gets a propaganda victory and is already claiming credit for the agreement, even though he’s not yet in office, and some Israeli officials are crediting the sudden progress in negotiations to him. But Trump can’t take total credit: Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has boasted about deliberately sabotaging ceasefire agreements over the past year.

According to one analyst, Wednesday’s deal is almost identical to a deal proposed on May 27 that Israel rejected, with six minor changes in the appendix. So what’s different now from eight months ago? Netanyahu has his preferred president, and Trump can take credit. The question is if Netanyahu is getting something in return—and what will happen to Gaza’s long-suffering civilians next.

Democratic Senator Adam Schiff delivered scorching criticism Wednesday of Pam Bondi, Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, over her closeness with the president-elect.

During her confirmation hearing, Schiff pressed Bondi on whether she “had the independence” to “tell hard truths” to Trump, despite their close relationship and the fact that she was chosen precisely for her loyalty.

“Let me start with an easy truth that you could speak to the president. Can you tell us, can you tell him, that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election?” Schiff asked.

“Senator, what I can tell you is I will never play politics. You’re trying to engage me in a ‘gotcha.’ I won’t do it.” Bondi replied. After the 2020 election, Bondi joined forces with Rudy Giuliani to sow doubt about the results on Trump’s behalf.

“I won’t play politics with any ongoing investigation, like you did, leaking your colleague Devin Nunes’s memo,” she replied, refusing to answer the actual question.

Schiff took a moment to explain why exactly Bondi’s loyalty was dangerous, and would come back to bite her.

“The president has a right to choose people he believes will be loyal to him. Our concern comes when that loyalty of the president conflicts with your duty, conflicts with the Constitution, conflicts with your oath,” Schiff said.

“And our questions have been designed to try to ascertain what you will do when that inevitable conflict arises. And you may say you believe that conflict will never come. But every day, week, month, and year of the first Trump administration demonstrated that conflict will come.

“Jeff Sessions may not have believed it would come to him—it came to him. Bill Barr may not have believed it would come to him—it came to him. It came to everyone. It will come to you. And what you do in that moment will define your attorney generalship, your public service. Everything you’ve done up to that moment will be judged by what you do in that moment,” Schiff said.

During her confirmation hearing, Bondi refused to answer simple questions about her views on birthright citizenship and whether she would pursue legal action against former special prosecutor Jack Smith; former Congresswoman Liz Cheney; and Bondi’s potential predecessor, Merrick Garland.