Top 5 Highlights from Biden's 1st Speech before Congress

U.S. President Joe Biden delivered his first speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, just one day prior to 100 days in office.

The setting was very different from a typical address as tickets were limited and social distancing rules were in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Biden's message was one of progress and a return to normalcy from more than a year under limitations. So, here are the top five highlights from the President's first speech to congress.

First in History…Two Powerful Women Flank U.S. President

The event broke a historic glass ceiling, as two women - Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - sat behind the president for the first time in U.S. history.

Hence, the seating arrangement carried a symbolic meaning for the advancement of U.S. women in recent decades, since Harris and Pelosi stand first and second in the presidential line of succession, respectively.

“Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President,” Biden said as he addressed the crowd. “No president has ever said those words from this podium, no president has ever said those words. And it’s about time!”

We Do Not Seek 'Escalation' With Putin

Biden affirmed that he was not seeking to escalate tensions with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after imposing sanctions over an array of concerns.

"I made very clear to Putin that we don't seek escalation but their actions have consequences," he stated.

We Are in a Competition with China to Win the 21st Century

Biden drew an ambitious plan to strengthen U.S. national power, from adding four more years to free public education to boosting investment in research and development. The goal is simple: to fend off the challenge of China.

"We're in a competition with China and other countries to win the 21st Century," Biden said to a standing ovation. Moreover, the president said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, "I told him that we welcome the competition."

U.S. Will Maintain Strong Military Presence in The Indo-Pacific 

Biden also revealed that he has asserted to Chinese President Xi Jinping that the U.S. will maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific, "just as we do with NATO in Europe, not to start conflict but to prevent conflict."

"We are not looking for conflict," Biden continued. "But I made absolutely clear that I will defend American interests across the board" and stand up against unfair trade practices, including state subsidies the theft of American technologies and intellectual property."

"I told him what I've said to many world leaders -- that America won't back away from our commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms."

Al Qaeda And ISIS Are in Yemen, Syria, Somalia

President Biden also talked about his planned withdrawal from Afghanistan, declaring that “American leadership means ending the forever war."

“After 20 years of American valor and sacrifice, it’s time to bring those troops home,” he added to more applause from the Democratic side.

Moreover, Biden stressed the U.S. military would retain the ability to strike threats in Afghanistan from afar, pledging that “we will maintain an over-the-horizon capability to suppress future threats to the homeland.”

He also noted that "Al Qaeda and ISIS are in Yemen, Syria, Somalia, other places in Africa in the Middle East and beyond.”