President Joe Biden on Tuesday called on Americans to “stop seeing each other as enemies” in the context of the Chinese coronavirus, despite scolding unvaccinated Americans and warning that his patience was wearing “thin” mere months ago in an angry and divisive speech.
“We have lost so much to COVID-19. Time with one another. And worst of all, so much loss of life,” Biden said. He failed to mention that in October 2020, during a presidential debate between himself and former President Donald Trump, he sharply criticized the number of coronavirus fatalities occurring under Trump’s watch.
“220,000 Americans dead. If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this. Anyone who’s responsible for not taking control — in fact, not saying, I take no responsibility, initially — anyone who is responsible for that many deaths should not remain as President of the United States of America,” he said at the time. That number now sits at over 950,000 — far above the figure under Trump’s last year in office, yet Biden has shown no signs of removing himself from office.
“Let’s use this moment to reset. Let’s stop looking at COVID-19 as a partisan dividing line and see it for what it is: A God-awful disease,” Biden continued. “Let’s stop seeing each other as enemies and start seeing each other for who we really are: Fellow Americans.”
“We can’t change how divided we’ve been. But we can change how we move forward—on COVID-19 and other issues we must face together,” he added.
Biden’s call to “stop seeing each other as enemies” comes after a year of demonizing unvaccinated Americans, even attempting to issue an ultimatum: Get the shot or potentially lose your job.
“We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin,” Biden said of unvaccinated Americans in his divisive September 9, 2021 speech.
“And your refusal has cost all of us. So, please, do the right thing. But just don’t take it from me; listen to the voices of unvaccinated Americans who are lying in hospital beds, taking their final breaths, saying, ‘If only I had gotten vaccinated. If only,'” he continued.
During that speech, Biden announced his plans to force Americans to get the jab via the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). However, the Supreme Court struck down that rule 6-3 in January, freeing millions of Americans from the burden of choosing between a jab or continued testing and their job.
“The bottom line: We’re going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated co-workers,” he said during the divisive speech. “We’re going to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by increasing the share of the workforce that is vaccinated in businesses all across America.”