Before his state visit to Paris on Saturday, Joe Biden delivered a final speech from Normandy where he was present for the anniversary ceremonies of the 1944 D-Day landings. This afternoon, the American president spoke from Pointe du Hoc, a mythical site where one of the most daring assaults of D-Day took place. The opportunity for the American president to pay tribute to the Rangers who rushed onto the cliffs on June 6, 1944, but also to draw a parallel with current events and the return of war in Europe.
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The slightly hesitant approach when joining the desk in front of the grandiose site at the top of the Normandy cliffs, Joe Biden Did not wear gloves. As throughout the ceremonies of recent days, he drew this parallel between the Nazi invasion yesterday and that of Vladimir Poutine in Ukraine Today.
In both cases, the UNITED STATES will be present, the American president said in substance to those in Europe who doubt the American commitment to defend freedom and democracy.
At La Pointe du Hoc, Biden’s speech calls on the American Rangers who launched the assault against the German artillery posted on these cliffs.
They are not asking us to give or risk our lives. What they are asking of us is to take care of others in our country, more than ourselves. They are not asking us to do what they did here. But to do our job: to protect the freedom of our time, to defend democracy, to rise up against aggression abroad, and at home.
Excerpt from Joe Biden’s speech at La Pointe du Hoc
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Joe Biden in the image of Ronald Reagan
“ Defending democracy in our country “. A barely veiled reference to the positions of Donald Trump. The former US president has often expressed his authoritarian leanings. Joe Biden is therefore using this memorial platform to attack his opponent in the race for the White House. He also declared “ I refuse to believe that America’s greatness is a thing of the past. »
This will certainly earn him criticism from the opposing camp in the United States, but he does it quite skillfully. Joe Biden is speaking exactly where another former Republican president spoke on June 6, 1984, Ronald Reagan. And what did Ronald Reagan say in his speech, one of the most important of his career? “ We in America have learned bitter lessons from the two world wars: it is better to be here ready to protect the peace than to shelter blindly across the sea. »
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A visit by Joe Biden planned to the Élysée on June 8
He said no to isolationism, the same one advocated by Republican Donald Trump by threatening to leave theNATO For example. The maneuver is clever, it remains to be seen whether it hit the mark on the other side of the Atlantic. We will also have to see if this speech translates into reality. Joe Biden remains in France for a state visit scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday June 8.
Present at the same time as him in Paris, Joe Biden apologized to Volodymyr Zelensky for the delay in releasing American aid and promised an additional $225 million. At the Élysée, it will be a question of this transatlantic link that Joe Biden intends to perpetuate and even strengthen and of support for Ukraine. Europeans, including the French, see it more than ever as a guarantee of their own security.