Biden calls for defense of democracy in Normandy speech
June 7, 2024
US President Joe Biden on Friday called on the US to protect democracy as he evoked the memory of those involved in the D-Day invasion during World War II.
Biden was speaking at the US Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc in northern France on the last day of events marking 80 years since the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Soldiers scaled seaside cliffs
Biden recounted the events of that day, and spoke of the US Army Rangers who moved to take Nazi positions under heavy fire, as they launched an amphibious assault on Pointe du Hoc.
This was one of the key positions that comprised Adolf Hitler's Atlantic Wall — a vast series of coastal fortifications that presented a major strategic challenge to the Allied Expeditionary Force.
Among those present was John Wardell the last remaining veteran from his unit who scaled the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc.
Biden spoke about the importance of democracy and how difficult it was to defend.
"When we talk about democracy — American democracy — we often talk big ideas like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What we don't talk about enough is how hard it is," Biden said while highlighting the extreme difficulties the US forces endured on June 6, 1944.
"American democracy asks the hardest of things: to believe that we're a part of something bigger than ourselves. So democracy begins with each of us," Biden said.
"I've long said that history has shown that ordinary Americans can do the most extraordinary things. And there's no better example of that in the entire world than right here at Pointe du Hoc. Rangers from farms, from cities, from every part of America," Biden said.
Biden speaks of 'Putin's aggression' in D-Day address
The Allied forces involved in D-Day were ultimately able to gain a foothold in continental Europe and then begin the long and arduous advance to Berlin to liberate Europe and defeat Nazi Germany.
Biden said it was beyond doubt that those involved in the events of 80 years ago would have also taken a stand today.
"They stood against Hitler's aggression, does anyone doubt that they would want America to stand up to Putin's aggression here in Europe today," Biden said referencing Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
"As we gather here today, it's not just to honor those who showed such remarkable bravery that day, June 6, 1944," Biden said. "It's to listen to the echo of their voices. To hear them ... They're not asking us to scale these cliffs. They're asking us to stay true to what America stands for," Biden said.
Thursday saw Biden make an impassioned call for the defense of freedom and urged Western powers to stand by Ukraine in its fight with Russia.
Biden is on a five-day trip to France which is his first state visit to the country. Aside from the events commemorating Allied landings, the US and France are looking to discuss global challenges and bilateral issues.
Material from AFP and Reuters news agencies contributed to this report.
Edited by: Natalie Muller