President Joe Biden raised eyebrows with a remark that he made on Friday at a naturalization ceremony with essential workers and military service members, saying that there was no set standard of what constitutes an American.

“I’ve often said that America is the only nation in the world founded on an idea,” Biden said. “Every other nation in the world is founded on the basis of either that — geography or ethnicity or religion. You can define every — almost everyone else based on those characteristics, but you can’t define America. I defy you to tell me what constitutes an American. You can’t do it. We’re an incredibly diverse democracy.”

“But there is one thing that does define us a country: We were founded on an idea that, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal…endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…Life, Liberty, [and] the pursuit of Happiness,’” he added. “It sounds corny to Americans, as we learn this in grade school and high school. We’ve never fully lived up to it, but we’ve never, ever, ever walked away from it. Every generation opens that aperture a little bit wider.”

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PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT:

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (D): I think about my own family’s journey here — at least two thirds of it came from — got on a coffin ship in the Irish Sea, back in 1849, having no idea whether they’d make it across the Atlantic to the United States, then to the col- — to the United States of America, but certain if they did, they could do better. And they did. They did better, and they eventually built a life and raised a family in Scranton, Pennsylvania, over generations.
 
And here I stand on the shoulders and sacrifices of my great-great-grandfather, my great-grandfather, my — and just all that they did because they believed — they believed like you believe: Anything is possible.
 
So I want to thank you all for choosing us, and I mean that sincerely. Thank you for choosing the United States of America, believing that America is worthy of your aspirations, worthy of your dreams.
 
Making this journey, you have done more than move to a new place. I’ve often said that America is the only nation in the world founded on an idea. Every other nation in the world is founded on the basis of either that — geography or ethnicity or religion. You can define every — almost everyone else based on those characteristics, but you can’t define America. I defy you to tell me what constitutes an American.  You can’t do it. We’re an incredibly diverse democracy.
 
But there is one thing that does define us a country: We were founded on an idea that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal…endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…Life, Liberty, [and] the pursuit of Happiness.” It sounds corny to Americans, as we learn this in grade school and high school. We’ve never fully lived up to it, but we’ve never, ever, ever walked away from it. Every generation opens that aperture a little bit wider.