Biden heads to Georgia to mark 100 days in office
01 May, 2021
President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden celebrated his 100th day in office in the southern US state of Georgia.
He held a drive-in rally in Duluth, a city 45 minutes north of Atlanta where he once again pushed his American jobs plan.
The program, which would invest $2.3 trillion in the American economy, would be payed for mostly by new corporate tax increases.
“It's a once in a generation investment in America,” Mr Biden told the crowd.
His 22-minute speech was briefly interrupted whenever a person started yelling, “End detention now”.
It was unclear if the protester was discussing the private prison system or border detention centres.
Mr Biden said, “We’ll offer you a microphone", and added, “I agree with you - give me another 5 days”, which made the crowd erupt in cheers and honks.
“There must be no private prisons, period,” he said.
The protester was eventually escorted out by staff, according to reports.
The location of tonight’s rally was no accident. Georgia has played an intrinsic role in the president’s first few months in office.
Mr Biden wrested the state from Republicans for the very first time in 28 years when he carried Georgia in the November 2020 presidential election.
In January, the state elected Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, two Democrats, to the Senate, giving the Democrats control of both houses, effectively allowing the president to easier perform his agenda.
Georgia has since end up being the epicentre of a nationwide debate on voting rights. The state’s Republican legislature passed a voting rights bill that will limit ballot usage of voters in urban counties.
The bill's detractors have said that it'll disproportionately affect black communities. The president has called the bill “sick” and “un-American".
He told those in attendance: “In January, your vote changed the world.”
Talking with the crowd earlier on Thursday, Stacey Abrams, whom many credit with the state's swing left, said, “America is back on track as a result of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris! 100 days of greatness!”
Ms Abrams has been an outspoken critic of the state's Republican government and she could be eyeing another run at governor in 2022. She narrowly lost the race for governor in 2018.
The president thanked Ms Abrams on her behalf work.
“Stacey Abrams could be anything she really wants to be, from whatever she chooses, to president.” he said. “I want to many thanks, Stacey, for empowering the people to vote and make their voices heard.”
This is the president’s second major address in as much days.
On Wednesday evening, Mr Biden gave his first speech to a joint session of Congress. The president spoke for over one hour.
He outlined his “blue-collar blueprint” which would see his administration investing over $4tn in American families and infrastructure in an attempt to help to rebuild the middle class.
Earlier in the day, Mr Biden and the first lady visited former Democratic President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn in Plains, two and half hours south of Atlanta. Both are long-time political allies. At 96, Mr Carter, is the longest-living US president.
Source: www.thenationalnews.com