For the Biden White House, the events of January 6, 2021, remain a looming, dystopian threat to democracy—the greatest of our time—100 days after a relatively normal transfer of power.
White House Suspends Travel From India.
The White House will restrict the entry of non-U.S. citizens “who were physically present within the Republic of India during the 14‑day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States” beginning on Tuesday, May 4. The U.S. Embassy in India has urged U.S. citizens to leave, warning that “Access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited in India due to the surge in Covid-19 cases . . . U.S. citizens are reporting being denied admittance to hospitals in some cities due to a lack of space.”
Don’t forget how then-candidate Joe Biden reacted when President Donald Trump halted travel from China at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak: “We are in the midst of a crisis with the coronavirus. We need to lead the way with science — not Donald Trump’s record of hysteria, xenophobia, and fear-mongering. He is the worst possible person to lead our country through a global health emergency.”
Vice President Touts First 100 Days Record.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered remarks Friday on “Progress Made During the First 100 Days in Office,” using the phrase “American aspiration” as the theme of the first 100 days. The phrase “American aspiration” comes from the Vice President’s post-inaugural remarks.
“Let’s go back to where our nation was 100 days ago,” Harris said. “About 2 [million] out of 330 million Americans, at that time, were fully vaccinated. More than 10 million Americans were out of work. Schools were closed. Businesses were closed. And beyond the pandemic, our democracy was under assault. And our Capitol had just been attacked by insurgents. All of that was going on when the President and I took our oath of office. But as daunting as these challenges were, we were not deterred.”
The president, meanwhile, delivered a speech celebrating the 50th anniversary of Amtrak—”a celebration that is obviously close to the President’s heart,” press secretary Jen Psaki said. His remarks included a fond story about taking the 5:00 p.m. train home to Delaware to blow out the candle on a birthday cake and immediately boarding the 6:28 p.m. train back to Washington during his early days in the Senate.
Biden had already delivered remarks in Georgia Thursday observing the administration’s first 100 days, followed by a peculiar exchange where he admitted he was “teasing” protestors when he said “give me another five days” to abolish Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Biden seemed to have thought the protestors were referring to the elimination of funding to private prisons.
January 6 Looms Very, Very Large For Biden White House.
In a proclamation observing Law Day, 2021, the White House took another opportunity to characterize January 6 as a day that threatened to shatter American democracy.
“Recently, we were again called to recognize that democracy is precious and fragile,” reads the proclamation on Law Day, U.S.A., 2021. “We have witnessed grave threats to our democratic institutions and to the rule of law itself. These tragic events have taught us once again that when we are united, we can overcome the greatest challenges and move our country forward—but it takes a commitment to law over demagoguery, and the enforcement of law free from political interference, to do so.”
Of course, that oh-so-“fragile” democracy resulted in a totally normal transfer of presidential power on January 20, while federal agents have reportedly raided the home and business of private individuals who did not even participate in the breach of the Capitol on January 6.
