![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dailytide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/admin-ajax-7-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAnd he \u2014 and they said he just lost his son that ran into a beam that was coming up in the D&C Canal that had been there from another, I guess, dock. And his \u2014 he lost his 15-year-old son, Teddy. And he\u2019s on the phone, and all of a sudden, my phone rings, and he\u2019s calling me. It turned out to be my buddy, Davis Sezna, because he knew I had lost \u2014 anyway.<\/p>\n
And then, a year later, I got a call. His son was on the 106th floor, and he lost his son. And they called him \u201cDeeg.\u201d He was Davis Jr. <\/p>\n
And so, it\u2019s a tough day for him and everybody who\u2019s lost somebody. <\/p>\n
And, you know, I know you\u2019ve heard me say it before, and I\u2019ll probably get criticized for saying it again, but these memorials are really important, but they\u2019re also incredibly difficult for the people who were affected by them \u2014 because it brings back the moment you got the phone call. It brings back that instant you got the news, no matter how many years go by. <\/p>\n
So I\u2019ve been thinking about him. I\u2019ve been thinking of all the people I was \u2014 when I was down at the rock, talking to a number of family members who lost somebody. You know, think about it \u2014 talk about genuine heroism. I\u2019m not talking about any \u2014 I\u2019m not talking about the news media now. But think of all of you, if you\u2019re on that plane, knowing two terrorists are in the cockpit. How many would say, \u201cI got a good idea: Let\u2019s go up and rush that cabin\u201d? Even though you knew that probably they were going to do something and you were going to lose anyway. <\/p>\n
But it\u2019s one thing to say, \u201cI know I should step up,\u201d and another thing to do it. That\u2019s genuine heroism. That\u2019s not \u201con the margins.\u201d That\u2019s not \u201cmaybe you did a heroi-\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n
I mean, you know. And I just \u2014 I just think \u2014 I thought that President Bush made a really good speech today \u2014 genuinely good speech \u2014 about who we are. We\u2019re not \u2014 the core of who we are is not divided. It\u2019s just this notion of \u2014 I don\u2019t know how to explain it. <\/p>\n
I think, Jeff, I talked to you a little about this. I think the real issue for those kids that \u2014 just had a picture taken with \u2014 couple of them had Trump hats from last year \u2014 I think, for them, it\u2019s going to be: Are we going to, in the next 4, 5, 6, 10 years, demonstrate that democracies can work, or not?<\/p>\n
Because I had \u2014 just had a long \u2014 I\u2019m not going to discuss with you now, but I had a long conversation with President Xi for over an hour and a half \u2014 not last night; the night before last. And I\u2019ve had that one-on-one summit with Putin. And I\u2019ve spoken with others. <\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot of autocrats who truly believe that democracies can\u2019t function in the 21st century. Not a joke. They think because the world is changing so rapidly and people are so divided, you can\u2019t bring people together in a democracy to get a consensus, and the only ones that are going to be able to succeed are the autocrats. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s so damn important we demonstrate \u2014 everybody says, \u201cBiden, why do you keep insisting on trying to bring the country together?\u201d That\u2019s the thing that\u2019s going to affect our wellbeing more than anything else: how the rest of the world responds to us \u2014 knowing that we actually can, in fact, lead by the example of our power again. And I think we can do it. We got to do it. <\/p>\n
And so it\u2019s all tied. And meeting with these people \u2014 you know, I know you\u2019re all tired of hearing me say, you know \u2014 a lot of good folks on Wall Street, but they didn\u2019t build the country. Hardworking middle-class folks built this country, and the unions built the middle class. It\u2019s about time we start showing them some real respect again.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s why I\u2019m hopeful. I know a lot of you think I\u2019m just always too optimistic, but I think we\u2019re going to get major pieces of legislation through, both on a bipartisan basis, and I think we\u2019re going to get something done consequentially \u2014 consequential on the whole issue of dealing with human infrastructure. <\/p>\n
And we do that \u2014 it\u2019s more than just how it\u2019s going to grow the economy in an exponential way near-term, but the rest of the world is going, \u201cWhoa. How did he do that? I thought they didn\u2019t talk to each other.\u201d <\/p>\n
Anyway, you asked what I was thinking. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve been thinking about today.<\/p>\n
Q How do you get back to that state of unity that you were talking about and that President Bush was talking about, Mr. President?<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: By being honest when I make a mistake, by being straightforward, telling people exactly what I want to do, letting them know and \u2014 know that there\u2019s nothing \u2014 no hiding the ball. <\/p>\n
You know, if you take a look at the polling data, it is down \u2014 as my numbers have dropped \u2014 you\u2019ve seen that my package is overwhelmingly popular. Overwhelmingly popular. And so that\u2019s why you\u2019re going to see \u2014 and I get it \u2014 a lot more direct attacks on me, not what I\u2019m for. And that\u2019s \u2014 I\u2019m a big boy. I\u2019ve been doing this a long time. <\/p>\n
But I really think that, you know, so far, most people, understandably, thought I couldn\u2019t get any of this done, I couldn\u2019t get the first bill passed. We got it passed. It grew the economy, where, you know \u2014 where, you know, the 40 percent \u2014 anyway.<\/p>\n
So I think it\u2019s just a matter of showing \u2014 showing that what I\u2019m saying, when it works, letting it \u2014 be clear how it works, and when it doesn\u2019t work, say I\u2019m going to change that. <\/p>\n
But I think people are just looking for, I hope \u2014 we\u2019ll find out \u2014 just some straight talk: what should be done, what you believe to be done. <\/p>\n
And I\u2019ve been doing this long enough. There\u2019s, you know \u2014 again, I apologize. For somebody who\u2019s covered me a long time, like you, you\u2019ve heard me say some of this before, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I told you the story about when I won as a 29-year-old kid. Everybody said, \u201cWell, what\u2019s the secret? What\u2019s the secret? Had to be some special secret. How the hell could I win?\u201d (Laughs.) You know, straight up. I had to find something. And I said the secret is figuring out what\u2019s worth losing over (inaudible). What are you willing to lose over? That\u2019s your belief. If you can\u2019t figure that one out, you shouldn\u2019t run. You shouldn\u2019t do it. <\/p>\n
And so the things that I\u2019m pushing, I believe. I believe. Now, I\u2019m not \u2014 it doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m \u2014 you know, everybody has to agree I\u2019m right. I mean \u2014 but I\u2019m just laying out what I think has to be done to bring this country back.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve heard me say it a thousand times: This is the most unique country in the whole damn world. We\u2019re an idea. It\u2019s an idea. It\u2019s not based on ethnicity. It\u2019s not based on geography. It\u2019s not based on religion. It\u2019s not based \u2014 it\u2019s an idea. It really is. \u201cWe hold these truths\u2026\u201d I mean, we never lived up to it, but we\u2019ve never walked away from it, except the last \u2014 previous four years.<\/p>\n
And so, you know, it would be inappropriate for me to tell you the number of serious Republicans in the past, and a few that are still around, who call me and tell me, \u201cWhat can I do to help?\u201d Because they get it too. They may not agree with everything I say, but this idea that, you know, \u201cWhat do you want to do with Biden?\u201d \u201cI want to box him.\u201d I mean \u2014 you know. I should be so lucky. You know what I mean?<\/p>\n
But it is \u2014 the kinds of things \u2014 or, you know, the stuff that\u2019s coming out of Florida, the stuff that\u2019s coming out of \u2014 you know, \u201cIf Robert E. Lee had been in Afghanistan, we would have won.\u201d
\nAnyway, I\u2019m telling you too much. <\/p>\n
But the point is, what I\u2019m thinking about today is what these people who \u2014 and I\u2019ve got a piece of \u2014 a small piece of one of the beams they have \u2014 they gave me last time \u2014 or not last time, but how many times ago \u2014 and the flag they gave me. And I\u2019m thinking of, you know, what \u2014 what \u2014 of the people who died, what would they be thinking? They think it makes sense for us to be in this kind of thing, where you ride down the street and someone has a sign saying \u201cF so and so\u201d? Or \u2014 it\u2019s not who we are. <\/p>\n
Q This is the first anniversary with no war in Afghanistan anymore. Do you think this marks a new phase for the country as it experiences this anniversary 20 years later?<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think \u2014 look, I do. If you read, there was a big article with 16, 17 people. Was it in, um \u2014 I guess it was \u2014 what was it?<\/p>\n
AIDE: Politico.<\/p>\n
THE PRESIDENT: Politico. And quoting major players over the last 20 years.<\/p>\n
And everybody \u2014 every one of them said they\u2019re \u2014 look, this was \u2014 we didn\u2019t start off this way. If you had told anybody that we were going to spend 300 million bucks a day for 20 years to try to unite the country after we got bin Laden, after al Qaeda was wiped out there \u2014 can al Qaeda come back? Yeah. But guess what? It\u2019s already back in other places.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the strategy? Every place where al Qaeda is we\u2019re going to invade and have troops stay there? Come on. <\/p>\n
Anyway. So, I just think that \u2014 and, again, what people are \u2014 as I read it, I\u2019m told, people \u2014 70 percent of the American people think it was time to get out of Afghanistan \u2014 spending all of that money.<\/p>\n
But the flip of it is, they didn\u2019t like the way we got out. But it\u2019s hard to explain to anybody how else could you get out.<\/p>\n
For example, if we were in Tajikistan and we pulled up with a C-130 and said, \u201cWe\u2019re going to let, you know, anybody who was involved with being sympathetic to us to get on the plane,\u201d you\u2019d have people hanging in the wheel well. Come on.<\/p>\n
So \u2014 but you guys got a tough job, and I\u2019m glad I don\u2019t have it.<\/p>\n
So, anyway, I\u2019m going to do my thing. <\/p>\n
1:37 P.M. EDT<\/p>\n
Next Post: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Pennsylvania Disaster Declaration
\nPresident Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approv<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shanksville, PA…Question…Mr. President, what is going through your mind today, sir? THE PRESIDENT: I\u2019m thinking about my \u2014 for real, this is my fourth trip here. And I was thinking about a guy named Davis Sezna that I grew up with, who, like a lot of people, are probably having a tough day today. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-government","category-news","last_archivepost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/whitehouselogo200.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=128686"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128687,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128686\/revisions\/128687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=128686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=128686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.thepinetree.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=128686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}