Visions of America

Verbatim snapshots from Joe Biden, Liz Cheney and Donald Trump

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed into law the major climate change and health care spending bill. (Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

One of my favorite thought experiments is to imagine different collections of people in the same room together. What would they say to each other? How would they try to persuade each other about their beliefs? What might we learn about their diversity of thought and personality? In that spirit, I offer you not a meeting of minds over a well-cooked meal, but verbatim monologues from an inspired President Joe Biden right after signing the Inflation Reduction Act on Tuesday this week; Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney making her pointed concession speech (and opening bid as a presidential candidate?) later that night; and former White House occupant Donald Trump ten days earlier in a rambling address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas.

Joe Biden: “For a while, people doubted whether any of that was going to happen. But we are in a season of substance. This administration began amid a dark time in America—as Jim [Clyburn] said, ‘a once-in-a-century pandemic’—devastating joblessness, clear and present threats to democracy and the rule of law, doubts about America’s future itself. And yet, we’ve not wavered. We’ve not flinched. And we’ve not given in. Instead, we’re delivering results for the American people. We didn’t tear down; we built up. We didn’t look back; we looked forward. And today—today offers further proof that the soul of America is vibrant, the future of America is bright, and the promise of America is real and just beginning. Look, the bill I’m about to sign is not just about today, it’s about tomorrow. It’s about delivering progress and prosperity to American families … I believe in the promise of America.  I believe in the future of this country.  I believe in the very soul of this nation. And most of all, I believe in you, the American people.”

Donald Trump: “We are standing up against some of the most menacing forces, entrenched interests and vicious opponents our people and our country has ever seen. A friend of mine recently said that I was the most persecuted person in the history of our country. And then I thought about it, because I didn’t have time to think much because I’m always being persecuted, and I felt he may very well be right. What a terrible thing. We had, think of it, a Russia, Russia, Russia scam that was covered religiously by the fake news media. Even though they knew it was a fake, they knew it was fake, they knew earlier than anybody…Then I had impeachment hoax number one, impeachment hoax number two, the Mueller investigation resulting in a verdict after two years of no collusion with Russia … These are evil people. These are sick people. Think of them … Who has been through anything like this? Certainly no politician and definitely no president … The election was rigged and stolen and now our country is being systematically destroyed. And everybody knows it, and this corrupt January 6th of unselect people? They’re unselect.”

Liz Cheney: “This is not a game. Every one of us must be committed to the eternal defense of this miraculous experiment called America and at the heart of our democratic process—our elections. They are the foundational principle of our Constitution. Two years ago, I won this primary with 73 percent of the vote. I could easily have done the same again. The path was clear, but it would have required that I go along with President Trump's lie about the 2020 election. It would have required that I enable his ongoing efforts to unravel our democratic system and attack the foundations of our republic. That was a path I could not and would not take…

“Never in our nation's 246 years have we seen what we saw on January 6. Like so many Americans, I assumed that the violence and the chaos of that day would have prompted a united response, a recognition that this was a line that must never be crossed, a tragic chapter in our nation's history to be studied by historians to ensure that it can never happen again. But instead, major elements of my party still vehemently defend those who caused it. At the heart of the attack on January 6 is a willingness to embrace dangerous conspiracies that attack the very core premise of our nation … Donald Trump knows that voicing these conspiracies will provoke violence and threats of violence. This happened on January 6, and it's now happening again. It is entirely foreseeable that the violence will escalate further, yet he and others continue purposely to feed the danger.”

Trump: “We could end up in World War III because we are being governed by incompetent people. Could happen. And this war will be worse than any war ever because we have weapons the likes of which nobody has ever seen before. But you say, where does it stop? Where does it end? It probably doesn’t stop, because despite great outside dangers, our biggest threat remains the sick, sinister and evil people from within our own country. Never forget everything this corrupt establishment is doing to me is all about preserving their power and control over the American people. They want to damage me in any form so that I can no longer represent the hardworking citizens of our country, so that I will no longer get a 99 percent approval rating from CPAC.”

Biden: “I swore an oath of office to you and to God to faithfully execute the duties of this sacred office. To me, the critical duty—the critical duty of the presidency is to defend what is best about America. And that’s not hyperbole. Defend what’s best about America. To pursue justice, to ensure fairness, and to deliver results that create possibilities—possibilities that all of us—all of us can live a life of consequence and prosperity in a nation that’s safe and secure. That’s the job. Fulfilling that pledge to you guides me every single hour of every single day in this job.”

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