During his speech on Thursday, President Joe Biden broke his inauguration pledge to unify America when he singled out up to 80 million unvaccinated Americans, characterizing them as uninformed troublemakers who have worsened the pandemic.
Throughout his speech detailing his vaccine initiatives – one of which will require private companies with over 100 employees to mandate vaccines or a negative coronavirus test – Biden repeatedly demonized unvaccinated Americans for delaying “progress” and for abusing the “patience” of their fellow countrymen.
- “We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin.”
- “Many of us are frustrated with the nearly 80 million Americans who are still not vaccinated.”
- “I understand your anger at those who haven’t gotten vaccinated.”
- “We’re going to protect vaccinated workers from unvaccinated co-workers.”
As author and Senate candidate J.D. Vance pointed out, Biden placed unvaccinated Americans into a lower-class:
Those remarks among many directly contrast with Joe Biden’s inaugural address when he promised to “lower the temperature” while urging Americans to seek common ground and understanding:
We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. For without unity there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.
I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart.
Several progressives on Twitter echoed President Biden’s disdain for unvaccinated Americans.
“I think Republicans are underestimating how sick and tired the vaccinated are of being patient with the unvaccinated. We’re tired of disruptions to workplaces,” tweeted Bradley P. Moss. “We’re tired of schools having COVID outbreaks due to delta. We’re tired of disruptions on airplanes. Get vaccinated.”
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