Joe Biden used the final public address of his presidency to warn that the growing power of America’s ultra-wealthy threatens the foundations of US democracy. The speech did not mention Donald Trump, but Washington bureau chief David Smith writes that it will be remembered for “highlighting something wider and deeper of which Trump is a symptom”.
Developments elsewhere in DC underscored Biden’s message. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will reportedly sit with members of Trump’s cabinet at his inauguration. Meanwhile “deeply alarmed” staff at the Bezos-owned Washington Post have demanded a meeting with the billionaire over the newspaper’s future.
