Joe Biden’s recent trip to France revealed two key things: he’s not like Ronald Reagan, and he seemed to lack patriotism.
During his visit, he also diminished historic heroes by using them to criticize Donald Trump and House Republicans.
Traditionally, American presidents avoid partisan attacks while abroad, but Biden didn’t follow this rule. Despite his efforts, his visit didn’t go as well as planned.
Biden visited Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. However, his speech was overshadowed by Reagan’s iconic speech at the same location 40 years earlier.
Reagan’s speech was so impactful that Biden’s team tried to use it as a model for his own. Unfortunately, this led to accusations of plagiarism, as Biden’s remarks closely mirrored Reagan’s words about the heroic Army Rangers.
While Reagan praised the “boys of Pointe du Hoc” who bravely climbed the cliffs, Biden mentioned the “ghosts of Pointe du Hoc” and asked if Americans today would show the same dedication.
Reagan’s speech was aimed at uniting and inspiring the Western alliance against the Soviet Union, while Biden’s speech focused more on domestic politics and criticizing Trump.
Reagan’s leadership during a tense period of the Cold War stands in stark contrast to Biden’s current challenges, including maintaining NATO’s unity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reagan’s message was clear and powerful, emphasizing America’s role in leading the free world.
In contrast, Biden’s message was seen as weaker and more politically motivated.
Biden’s visit was further complicated by a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he apologized for delays in military aid due to political disagreements in the U.S. Biden’s apology was seen as unnecessary, especially considering the significant support America has already provided to Ukraine.
Overall, Biden’s trip to France was marked by attempts to emulate Reagan’s success, but it fell short in both message and delivery.
His focus on criticizing Trump and Republicans, rather than uniting and inspiring, highlighted the differences between his approach and that of past leaders like Reagan.
