America looked the other way on Tuesday night as Donald Trump released his farewell address to the country, turning instead to Joe Biden as he landed in Washington D.C. ahead of his inauguration.
Once Biden was on the ground, he immediately demonstrated the type of leadership that Trump has been unwilling or unable to show over the past four years, particularly after the nation was decimated by a virus that has now claimed over 400,000 lives.
At a memorial to honor all of those lives lost in the pandemic, Biden reminded the country what it’s like to have a president who can exhibit real human emotions.
“To heal we must remember,” Biden said. “It’s hard sometimes to remember, but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation.”
Video:
President-elect Joe Biden: “To heal we must remember…It’s important to do that as a nation…between sundown and dusk let us shine the lights in the darkness along the sacred pool of reflection and remember all who we lost.”
Full video here: https://t.co/zJgfdrALb8 pic.twitter.com/0Ilc6ggZhu
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 19, 2021
Biden said:
I mean this from the bottom of my heart: If there are any angels in heaven, they’re all nurses. We know from our family experience, the courage and the pain you absorb for others – so thank you. Thank you. … To heal we must remember. And it’s hard sometimes to remember. But that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation. That’s why we’re here today. Between sundown and dusk, let us shine the lights in the darkness along the sacred pool reflection and remember all who we lost.
A simple but important moment for the country
Over the past year, the United States has suffered so much loss – whether it’s hundreds of thousands of lives lost to the pandemic or millions of folks out of work and struggling to get by.
This suffering was only compounded by the fact that America was being led by a man who refused to acknowledge the pain the country was feeling. Trump was incapable of even pretending to care.
What Joe Biden did on Tuesday night was simple, but it was also important. He showed the Americans people that he understands their pain and will work to bring a battered country together.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.