`Audio from a podcast recorded in May by former Vice President Joe Biden reveals the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee calling for “revolutionary institutional changes” and talking about the coming “revolution.”
Biden, hosting a campaign podcast May 11, was interviewing former viral Andrew Yang, who left the presidential race after the New Hampshire primary in February. Their exchange happened in May — before the George Floyd protests.
Both Yang and Biden agreed that the U.S. needed radical changes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Biden’s call for “revolutionary institutional changes” was later referenced by the Washington Post but the full exchange went unnoticed.
In their discussion, which focused on the economy, Biden took for granted that a new “revolution” was coming — though he admitted he had no idea what would follow:
Biden: I think we can get through this period, but the things we have to change — and I think I know you agree — we need some revolutionary institutional changes in how we do things.
Yang: Yes, Amen. It’s painful, because every passing day, more and more Americans are hitting desperate circumstances, and dire straits, and they’re feeling this inability to be more agile, every single day.
Biden: Well, we need an environment in the wake of this revolution, [where] everybody has a chance to be part of the mix, though it’s not self-evident exactly how to do that.
Biden’s endorsement of “revolution” fits into a pattern of radical rhetoric that he has used since clinching the nomination:
- May 4: Biden calls coronavirus an “incredible opportunity … to fundamentally transform the country”
- May 11: Biden says America needs “revolutionary institutional changes,” talks about “revolution”
- June 2: Biden calls for America to deal with “systemic racism”
- July 4: Biden promises to “transform” America and “rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country”
- July 9: Biden vows an “end to the era of shareholder capitalism”
- July 13: Biden promises “systemic” and “institutional” changes
- July 28: Biden promises to be “one of the most progressive presidents in U.S. history”
On Monday, Biden was endorsed by Revolutionary Communist Party USA leader Bob Avakian.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.