Biden Touts Praise from Anti-Israel, Abolish-the-Police Movement

Plus, Ken Griffin on “Western values”; Gaza casualty count; a new Jewish great migration

Joe Biden

President Biden has added a new line to his campaign fundraising speeches, touting praise of his administration’s policies from an extremist group that favors defunding the police and is backing the campus “encampments” that falsely accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza.

Biden used the new line in four recent campaign appearances, in Portola Valley, California; in Palo Alto, California; in Medina, Washington, and in Seattle, Washington, according to White House transcripts.

Portola Valley, May 10: “I was so proud that the new report co-released on 20 ma- -- by 20 major climate organizations, from the Sierra Club to Sunrise Movement, credited my administration with taking more than 300 actions to -- related to climate, conservation, public health, clean energy,” Biden said going on to quote from the report.

Palo Alto, May 10: “I’m so proud of the new report released by the 20 major climate organizations, from the Sierra Club to the Sunrise Movement, crediting our administration with taking more than 300 related climate actions -- conservation, public health, clean energy.”

Medina, May 11: “I’m proud to say the new report co-released by 20 major climate organizations….Climate organizations, from the Sierra Club to the Sunrise Movement, credited my administration with taking on more than 300 actions relating to conservation, climate, public health, and clean energy.”

Seattle, May 10: “I’m so proud to report that co- -- that wh- -- they co-released by 20 major climate organizations, from the Sierra Club to the Sunrise Movement, it credited our administration with making more than 300 actions related to climate, conservation, public health, and clean energy.”

What is the Sunrise Movement?

Its official website, under the “our demands” section, says, “abolish the police, fund social programs.” It says, “we cannot achieve climate justice without moving away from police and prisons.”

The organization is also a signer of the recent “Statement in solidarity with student protests for Gaza,” a statement that says:

We commend the students who are exercising their right to protest peacefully despite an overwhelming atmosphere of pressure, intimidation and retaliation, to raise awareness about Israel's assault on Gaza – with U.S. weapons and funding. These students have come forth with clear demands that their universities divest from corporations profiting from Israeli occupation, and demanding safe environments for Palestinians across their campuses. The students’ courage and determination in the face of adversity inspire us all to take action and speak out against injustice wherever it occurs. As they risk everything right now, it is critical that all of us do everything we can to support them.

We join them in calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and an end to the U.S. government's and institutions' role in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

As we stand in solidarity with the students protesting in encampments across the country, we reaffirm our commitment to amplifying their voices, condemn the university administration officials' violent response to their activism, and demand that universities remove the presence of police and other militarized forces from their campuses.

In February, the Sunrise Movement stormed Biden’s campaign headquarters in Delaware, “demanding that he declare a climate emergency, call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end U.S. funding of Israel,” according to a report in Inside Climate News that says 21 of the 80 protesters were arrested.

The Sunrise Movement’s X feed is full of items denouncing Aipac, the main pro-Israel lobby, claiming, inaccurately, that, “AIPAC is funded by republican oil billionaires that are against climate science & protecting reproductive rights.”

What is Biden, or his team, thinking by describing this group as a “major” climate organization or expressing pride—“I’m so proud”—in the fact that it supports him?

The big news organizations like the New York Times spend millions of dollars on reporters following Biden around, but they don’t report this stuff, which is fine, because it provides an opportunity for publications such as this one.