Joe Biden's inaugural address is his moment to capture a snapshot of a divided and overwhelmed country businessinsider.com/biden-inaugura… by @TinaSfon ($) @businessinsider
It's a monumental oratorical challenge for a career Democratic politician who has given countless speeches as a senator, a vice-president, and three-time White House candidate.
Presidential speechwriting experts said the circumstances — the end of Trump & the double whammy of a global pandemic & economic turmoil — will force Biden to come up w/ just the right language to express far more than any 1 policy promise, campaign pledge or personal anecdote.
"You want to have words to speak to the moment," said Peter Wehner, a former speechwriter to President George W. Bush. "You want to be able to capture the mood of the country and speak in a way that resonates with the country."
Biden worked with his chief speechwriter Vinay Reddy, senior advisor Mike Donilon and his family on his inaugural speech, which no doubt has seen big changes since the January 6 attack by a pro-Trump mob on the Capitol.
Biden is of course no stranger to delivering big speeches. He's been serving in public office for so long that his lengthy career became a regular Trump attack line of its own during the 2020 presidential campaign.
"My hunch is that at some point in 78 years Joe Biden has thought about what he might say if he were inaugurated as president of the United States," said Daniel Pink, a former speechwriter to former Vice President Al Gore.
Read the whole story by @TinaSfon before the inauguration ceremony starts. Subscribe to @businessinsider here: businessinsider.com/subscription
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
