Politicians and pundits had mixed reactions Saturday to President Biden’s impassioned speech in Warsaw, in which he rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin and defended liberal democracy.
“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said at the end of his speech. After the speech, the White House clarified Biden’s remarks, saying “the President’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”
Reactions to Biden’s speech have been mixed, with some calling his rhetoric dangerous and his words empty while others are praising his forcefulness and likening it to famous past presidential speeches.
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President Biden’s speech in Warsaw was magnificent. I watched the end several times. @POTUS wanted to say, and did say, about Putin that: “this man cannot remain in power.” And he added “For God’s sake” for emphasis. This is the right thing to do: negotiate from strength. https://t.co/GwND4pegfF
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 26, 2022
That powerful speech from President Biden in Warsaw, Poland really met the moment. It took Putin to task, reaffirmed our support for Ukraine, and clearly put Putin's war in the broader context of the global fight between democracy and autocracy. A top 5 Biden speech.
— Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) March 26, 2022
Watching #Biden Warsaw speech. Reminds me of JFK’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” (1963) and Reagan’s “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” (1987). Masterful. Now give #Zelenskyy more of everything. #StandWithUkraine
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) March 26, 2022
This speech is so deeply moving for anyone who loves freedom, Western democracy, and America’s role in guaranteeing liberty across the globe. The most important speech President Biden will give🇺🇸
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) March 26, 2022
I'll be blunt.
— Inna Sovsun (@InnaSovsun) March 26, 2022
I did not hear a single word from @POTUS that would make me, as #Ukrainian feel reassured that the West will help us more than doing right now (which is not enough).
I am happy he reassured Poland, but the bombs are exploding in Kyiv, and Kharkiv, not in Warsaw
In an otherwise powerful speech on Ukraine, and in a so far very measured one-month response to the invasion, this seems to be Biden’s first major misstep. Going down the ‘calling for regime change’ route is a potentially very dangerous move. Not wise imho. https://t.co/yydSi8Zxjh
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) March 26, 2022
For as much as Biden claims he doesn’t want WWIII, he’s about to stumble us into it with his extraordinary sloppiness.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) March 26, 2022
Biden openly advocates regime change for the largest nuclear power on earth. Because…our record on regime change is so impressive???
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) March 26, 2022
Biden is reckless, plus he’s not remotely feared by global gangsters…the worst possible combination. This fool could stumble into a global war. pic.twitter.com/wytXQ7uLdT
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