Biden calls white supremacy 'poison,' 'most dangerous terrorist threat' in commencement speech
President Joe Biden rebuked white supremacy in his commencement address to graduates of Howard University on Saturday, where he called it a “poison” and the most “dangerous terrorist threat” to the country.
“On the best days, enough of us have the guts and the heart to stand up for the best in us,” Biden said. “To stand up against the poison of white supremacy … to single it out as the most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland.”
“I thought, when I graduated, we could defeat hate. But it never goes away. It only hides under the rocks,” Biden said, urging the audience to “redeem the soul of this nation.”
Biden also told the graduates “It’s here where I see the future. And that’s not hyperbole.”
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His speech, while a commencement address, resembled his campaign speeches in 2020 and his promises for 2024 as he pursues a second term in the White House.
Biden told graduates they had what it takes to deliver on a swath of his own campaign pledges, including protecting democracy and condemning political violence.
Biden during his address also took aim at Tennessee House Republicans for efforts to expel three Democratic state lawmakers over a gun-reform protest on the House floor, as well as conservative-led book bans against books that discuss gender, sexual orientation and race.
“To stand with leaders of your generation who give voice to the people, demanding action on gun violence only to be expelled from state legislative bodies,” Biden said. “To stand against books being banned and Black history being erased.”
"I’m not saying you have to share this burden all on your own. The task at hand ahead is the work of all of us,” Biden added as he closed his address.