Biden: Hard work ahead to bolster democracies

President Joe Biden on Friday wrapped up his two-day democracy summit, an event that was more about starting a global conversation about how best to halt backsliding than producing immediate results or expanding democracy’s reach.

Biden and fellow leaders announced initiatives to stem autocracies from misusing big tech to stifle dissent, enhance election integrity, bolster independent media and other modest efforts that the president said would “seed fertile ground for democracies to bloom around the world.”

But the U.S. president also acknowledged the path ahead was difficult for democracies amid a rise of authoritarianism around the globe.

“We know how hard the work is that’s going to be ahead of us. but we also know that we are up to the challenge,” Biden said in remarks to close the virtual meeting.

All told, Biden pledged the U.S. would spend up to $424 million in the next year around the world to support independent media, anti-corruption work and more.