President Joe Biden said in an address to the nation Wednesday night that he would finish his term in office but “pass the torch” to the next generation, namely Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden said he set his personal ambition aside to “save our Democracy.”
“So I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation,” Biden said in the address, looking well above and to the side of the camera. “That is the best way to unite our nation.”
Biden made the comments days after releasing a letter on his social media accounts that announced he would not seek reelection. In his remarks, though, he made clear he is not leaving the White House until his first term is done.
“Over the next six months, I will be focused on doing my job as president,” Biden said. “That means I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose.”
Biden went on to condemn political violence and called for changes to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I’m the first president of this century to report that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world,” Biden said. During Biden’s administration, however, two major international wars have broken out: Russia invaded Ukraine and Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, prompting the Jewish nation to respond. Both wars are ongoing.
Biden has endorsed Harris, who has already gathered Democratic donors, delegates and key endorsements. She is the presumed Democratic nominee and likely will face former President Donald Trump in November. Democrats will officially nominate their candidate at their convention in Chicago next month, but could do so beforehand in a virtual vote.
Biden experienced a medical incident in recent days that the White House said was COVID-19. Biden was not seen over the weekend, raising concerns and questions, especially since Sunday’s major announcement that he would drop out of the race was made via letter, not video or public remarks.
In the Sunday letter, though, Biden promised to give more details later in the week. Mostly, though, Biden spent Wednesday’s address reminding Americans of his record and wins while in office.
He went on to praise Harris, calling her a great leader and warning Americans against voting for Trump, though never using his name.
“I’ve given my heart and my soul to our nation, like so many others,” Biden said.
“The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule,” Biden continued. “The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands.”
Biden’s handoff to Harris came after several brutal weeks for his campaign. Biden, who already faced ongoing questions about his mental fitness, had a disastrous debate with Trump at the end of June.
After that debate, donors and elected Democrats began calling on Biden to leave the race, saying he could not beat Trump.
A near-fatal assassination attempt against Trump further rallied support for the Republican presidential nominee, who was already leading Biden in national and most swing state polling.
Biden refused for weeks to step aside as more and more Democrats called for him to leave the race, but over the weekend, he relented.
Meanwhile, Republicans have continued to press Biden, arguing that if he is not fit to run for reelection, he is not fit to remain president.
“Does Lyin’ Kamala Harris think Joe Biden is fit to run the U.S.A. for the next six months?” Trump said in a statement. “She must answer the question. Now it appears Joe is delegating his Presidential Authority to unelected Washington Bureaucrats! He doesn’t even trust his Vice President. WHO IS RUNNING THE COUNTRY?”
Trump’s Vice Presidential pick, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, called on Biden to resign over the weekend.
“If Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign, how can he justify remaining President?” Vance wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday. “Not running for reelection would be a clear admission that President Trump was right all along about Biden not being mentally fit enough to serve as Commander-in-Chief. There is no middle ground.”
