Joe Biden’s 1st Address to the Nation Since Withdrawing from 2024 Race | LIVE

“It is not about me. It is about me,” says Biden. Biden is now talking about all the important decisions he has taken in his presidency. He also touched upon how the world has changed during his tenure. 

Biden says that “not even personal ambition can come in the way to saving democracy”. He adds that it is time for younger voices. 

Biden says that “Presidents are not kings”. He explains that he is stepping down to “defend democracy”.  

Biden has started his address to the nation. This is his first public speech since his withdrawal from the 2024 race.  

In his speech, Biden is expected to say that “I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families and grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights — from the right to vote to the right to choose.”

According to a report from the New York Times, Biden is expected to say that “the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.”

He will start speaking in around 10 minutes. This will be Biden’s fourth address to the nation from the Oval Office. 

President Joe Biden will address the nation tonight for the first time since announcing he is ending his re-election campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. His speech, which will air live from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (5:30 AM IST), comes as a pivotal moment for the Democratic Party, significantly altering its political landscape.

The address will be streamed live by C-SPAN. 

Biden, who has been recovering from COVID-19 at his beach home in Delaware, has largely stayed out of the public eye since last week. He announced his decision to withdraw from the 2024 race in a letter posted on X (formerly Twitter). 

On Monday, Biden called into a meeting led by Harris at their former joint campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. He assured attendees that he would be “fully, fully engaged” in supporting Harris’s candidacy.

This rare address will focus on his reasons for stepping away and his plans for the remaining months of his presidency.

Biden’s announcement came three days ago in a letter to “my fellow Americans,” where he revealed his decision to leave the campaign trail. The move followed a month of mounting pressure from within the Democratic Party, spurred by concerns over his age and his ability to face off against former President Donald Trump in a second term.

In his letter, Biden stated, “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President.” He continued, “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” He also promised to provide more details about his decision in his upcoming address.