President Joe Biden wiped away a tear and said being president was the ‘greatest honor of my life’ at his final Veterans Day address.
The ceremony, which took place at Arlington National Cemetery Monday morning, was the first time he and Vice President Kamala Harris stood side-by-side since her election loss last week to former President Donald Trump.
While first lady Dr. Jill Biden stayed stone-faced for most of the affair, Biden let his feelings flood out to the audience.
‘This is the last time I will stand here at Arlington as commander-in chief,’ Biden said. ‘It’s been the greatest honor of my life; to lead you, to serve you, to care for you, to defend you, just as you defended us, generation, after generation, after generation.’
He added, ‘You are the greatest fighting force. This is not hyperbole,’ and later got weepy during a performance of God Bless America.
It’s been six days since former President Donald Trump won the presidential election, beating Harris in all seven battleground states.
On Wednesday, Harris returned to the campus of Howard University – where her election night shindig took place – to officially concede the race to the Republican ex-president.
Then on Thursday, a chipper sounding Biden addressed the election from the White House Rose Garden, telling staff they had much to be proud of.
Biden didn’t join Harris at her Howard concession speech and she wasn’t at his side when he addressed Cabinet members, staff and press at the White House.
The 81-year-old had been largely sidelined from campaigning for Harris in the final run-up to the election, after he appeared to call Trump supporters ‘garbage’ on a Zoom the same night his vice president was making her ‘closing argument’ speech on the Ellipse.
The White House contended that Biden was referring to a Trump-aligned comedian as ‘garbage’ after he referred to Puerto Rico as a ‘floating island of garbage.’
But the Trump campaign glommed onto the gaffe – with some MAGA allies, including Donald Trump Jr. and Megyn Kelly – dressing up like trash for Halloween.
It didn’t make much of a difference anyway – Trump was able to gain support from every demographic group except college-educated women – winning the Electoral College and the popular vote, the first Republican to do so in 20 years.
During Monday’s program, when the Executive Director of the Office of Army Cemeteries Karen Durham-Aguilera announced Harris’ and Emhoff’s presence, applause broke out in the crowd.
A number of attendees rose and gave Harris a standing ovation.
Biden clapped heartily.
He appeared to wipe away a tear during a playing of God Bless America.
The president gave Harris a shout-out as he began his speech, along with other top administration officials in the crowd.
During his remarks, Biden stood by one of the most controversial moments of his presidency – the pull-out from Afghanistan.
‘Four presidents faced a decision after we had gotten bin Laden – whether to end our longest war in history,’ Biden said. ‘I was determined not to leave it to a fifth.’
‘Ladies and gentlemen, this is my duty as president. But also as a parent,’ Biden said.
Trump and his Republican allies pushed that Russian President Vladimir Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine had the U.S. not botched the withdrawal of Afghanistan.
The Democratic president also pledged to further enhance cancer-care for veterans exposed to toxins during their tours before he left the White House in January.
‘Today I’m proud to announce that the VA will expand the number of cancers covered under the PACT Act,’ Biden said. ‘God willing we will make sure any rare condition you develop is covered. We are committed to getting the rule in place by the end of my term.’
‘Folks, this matters. Too many of our nation’s veterans have served only to return home to suffer from permanent effects of poisonous chemicals. Too many have died.’
That issue is personal for the president, as he long suspected that his late son Beau Biden developed brain cancer after serving in Iraq, where the U.S. military used ‘burn pits’ to dispose of chemicals, plastics, tires, medical equipment and human waste.
Biden is set to host Trump at the White House Wednesday for a meeting – part of the traditional peaceful transition of power.
Trump didn’t give Biden the same courtesy four years before when he falsely claimed the 2020 election had been stolen from him, due to widespread voter fraud.