Republican strategist Karl Rove criticized President Joe Biden’s inaugural address Thursday on Fox News, accusing Biden of delegitimizing his political opponents.
“There was a point in there where he said we’re divided as a country between the people who believe in the American ideal and racism, nativism and fear. No, we’re divided as a country politically over questions of policy and direction and respect, but we’re united as a country against racism and nativism,” Rove said on “America’s Newsroom.”
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“That was an attempt to say, ‘If you’re not for me, then you’re part of the group that is nativist, racist, and fearmongering,” Rove said.
In his address, Biden said that American “history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, and demonization have long torn us apart.” (RELATED: Biden To Sign Record Number Of Executive Orders)
During the Democratic primary, Biden promised to support a study on reparations for slavery.
He also framed other issues not explicitly related to race in terms of support for minority communities. A key part of Biden’s Build Back Better economic initiative called for targeted investment in black, Latino, and Asian communities. The Trump campaign characterized the plan as “condescending, acceptable white liberal racism.”
Biden’s environmental policies are also couched in terms of racial equity. His campaign website promises that communities of color will be “be at the center of any [climate change] solutions.” On his first day in office, Biden ended construction on the Keystone XL pipeline, a move that Canada panned and Native American tribes cheered.