“One thing I promise you about my leadership during this crisis: I’m going to tell you honestly. I’m going to tell you the truth. And here’s the simple truth: our darkest days in the fight against Covid are upon us. not behind us, ”Biden said in a comment in Wilmington, Delaware.
“So we need to prepare to steal our backbone,” continued the president-elect. “As frustrating as it is to hear, it will take patience, persistence and determination to defeat this virus. There will be no time to waste in taking the steps we need to reverse this crisis.”
Biden said his administration will act swiftly not only to provide more economic aid and support to Americans, but will also urgently address the recent massive cyber attack on US companies and federal government agencies.
“There is still so much we don’t know, including the full extent of the breach or the extent of the damage it caused. But we know so much: this attack poses a serious risk to our national security,” Biden said.
“The Trump administration has not prioritized cyber security,” he said. He criticized President Donald Trump for downplaying the cyber attack and contradicting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s public comments linking the hack to Russia.
Biden said the Trump administration must “make an official attribution.”
“This attack happened under Donald Trump’s watch while he was not looking. It is still his responsibility as president to defend US interests for the next four weeks,” Biden said.
During the holidays and before Christmas, he said, “This season of reflection has a much deeper meaning than usual.”
Biden said it was “one of the toughest years we have ever experienced as a nation,” noting the pandemic, the economic crisis, protests against racial injustice, and historic wildfires and storms.
Biden thanked everyone involved in the development and distribution of coronavirus vaccines, primary health care workers and deployed military personnel and their families.
“Our hearts go out to all of you who have fallen in troubled times – through no fault of yours, I might add – unable to sleep at night, far away with worries about what tomorrow will bring for you and for your life family, ”he said.
He talked about how, like many Americans, he heeds the advice of public health experts and forgoes holiday traditions.
“As we did over Thanksgiving, we all have to take care of each other enough that we have to stay apart for a while. I know it’s hard, ”Biden said.
This is expected to be the president-elect’s last official appearance before Christmas, and Biden plans to stay at his home near Wilmington throughout the holiday.
The speech comes amid a holiday season in which public health experts have advised Americans not to travel or gather in large groups as coronavirus cases soar and the death toll nationwide soars.
“You don’t have to worry about anything,” Biden said, urging Americans to get the vaccine as soon as it is available to them.
Health professionals and others have begun to administer the two Covid-19 vaccines – the other developed by Moderna – that recently received emergency clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. More than 319,000 Americans died of the virus on Tuesday afternoon.
The president-elect’s remarks come the day after Congress voted in favor of a far-reaching $ 900 billion Covid aid package that promises to speed up vaccine distribution and provide much-needed relief to small businesses hard hit by the pandemic, Americans who lost their jobs during the economic turmoil and primary health workers.
Biden has said that while immediate funding is critical, upon taking office in January, his administration will take additional steps to support Americans and businesses and fund efforts to distribute vaccines.
The president-elect has quickly begun to build his government and has few places left in his cabinet to announce. One of the most high-profile positions in his new administration is Attorney General, and Biden is no longer expected to make that announcement before Christmas, according to a person familiar with the matter.