Washington: US President Joe Biden, in a solemn Oval Office address on Wednesday, urged voters to defend the country’s democracy while announcing his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. Having just returned to the White House after recovering from COVID-19, Biden declared his support for Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. This announcement comes amid swirling theories about his health and the timing of his decision, with Biden emphasizing that passing the torch to a new generation is crucial for uniting the nation.
Biden emphasized that defending democracy takes precedence over any personal ambition or title. While he did not directly criticize former President Donald Trump, whom he has previously labeled an existential threat to democracy, Biden’s speech subtly addressed the ongoing concerns about Trump.
The 10-minute address, delivered shortly after Biden’s recovery from COVID-19, also provided him with an opportunity to influence how history will view his single term in office. Reflecting on his 50 years of public service, Biden framed his decision to voluntarily hand over power as a historic moment, drawing a parallel to Lyndon Johnson’s 1968 announcement during the Vietnam War.
Read President Joe Biden‘s full speech here:
My fellow Americans, I’m speaking to you tonight from behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office. In this sacred space, I’m surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents. Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington showed us presidents are not kings. Abraham Lincoln implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt inspired us to reject fear.
I revere this office, but I love my country more. It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in defense of democracy, which is at stake, it’s more important than any title. I draw strength and find joy in working for the American people, but this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me. It’s about you, your families, your futures. It’s about we, the people. We can never forget that. I never have.
I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point. On those rare moments in history, when the decisions we make now determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come, America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide: do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice, and democracy?
In this moment, can we see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans? Can we do that? Does character in public life still matter? I believe I know the answer to these questions because I know you, the American people. And I know this: we are a great nation because we are good people.
When you elected me to this office, I promised to always level with you, to tell you the truth. The truth, the sacred cause of this country is larger than any one of us. Those of us who cherish that cause, cherish it so much, the American democracy itself. We must unite to protect it.
In recent weeks, it’s become clear to me I need to unite my party in this critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, our vision for America’s future, all merited a second term. But nothing, nothing, can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition. So, I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation.
You know, there’s a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. That time and place is now.
Over the next six months, I’ll be focused on doing my job as president. That means I’ll continue to lower costs for hardworking families, grow our economy. I’ll keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose. I’ll keep calling out hate and extremism, making it clear there is no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period.
I’m going to keep speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence, our planet from the climate crisis as the existential threat. I’ll keep fighting for my Cancer Moonshot to end cancer as we know it because we can do it. I’m going to call for Supreme Court reform because this is critical to our democracy, Supreme Court reform.
You know, I’ll keep working to ensure America remains strong, secure, and the leader of the free world. I’m the first president in this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world. We’ll keep rallying the coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking over Ukraine and doing more damage. We’ll keep NATO stronger and make it more powerful and more united than any time in all of our history. I’ll keep doing the same for allies in the Pacific.
You know, when I came to office, the conventional wisdom was China would inevitably surpass the United States. That’s not the case anymore. I’m going to keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages, bring peace and security to the Middle East, and end this war.
We’re also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world. You know, we’ve come so far since my inauguration. On that day, I told you, as I stood in that winter – where I stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities, a peril of possibilities. We were in the grip of the worst pandemic of a century. We came together as Americans. We got through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous, and more secure.
Today, we have the strongest economy in the world, creating 16 million new jobs of record. Wages are up. Inflation continues to come down. The racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years. We’re literally rebuilding our entire nation, urban, suburban communities. We’re leading the world in chips and science and innovation. We finally beat Big Pharma to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors. I’m going to keep fighting to make sure we lower the cost for everyone, not just seniors. More people have healthcare today in America than ever before. I helped millions of veterans and their families who were exposed to toxic materials.
You know, the most significant climate law ever, ever, in the history of the world. The first major gun safety law in 30 years. Today, the violent crime rate is at a 50-year low. Also securing our border, border crossings are lower today than when the previous administration left office. I’ve kept my commitment to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. I also kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America, be a president for all Americans. That’s what I’ve done.
I ran for president four years ago because I believed and still do that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake. That’s still the case. America is an idea, an idea stronger than any army. Bigger than any ocean. More powerful than any dictator or tyrant. It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident. We’re all created equal, endowed with certain rights – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We never fully lived up to this sacred idea, but we never walked away from it either.
I don’t believe the American people will walk away from it now. In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future. I made my choice. I made my views known. I want to thank our great Vice President Kamala Harris. She’s experienced. She’s tough. She’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country. Now the choice is up to you, the American people. When you make that choice, remember the words of Benjamin Franklin hanging on my wall in the Oval Office alongside the bust of Martin Luther King. When Ben Franklin emerged from the convention going on, whether the founders have given America a monarchy or republic, Franklin’s response was, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Whether we keep our republic is in your hands. My fellow Americans, it’s been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years. Nowhere else on earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Delaware sit behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States. Here I am. That’s what’s so special about America. We’re a nation of promise and possibilities, of dreamers and doers, of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. I’ve given my heart and my soul to our nation, like so many others. I’ve been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people. I hope you have some idea how grateful I am to all of you.
The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule, the people do. History is in your hands. The power’s in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. You just have to keep faith, keep the faith, and remember who we are. We’re the United States of America. There’s simply nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together. Let’s act together, preserve our democracy. God bless America.
As he spoke inside the Oval Office, Biden was joined off-camera by family members, including his wife, Jill, son Hunter, daughter Ashley and several grandchildren. Hundreds of administration aides held a watch party in the White House and gathered in the Rose Garden afterward to hear Biden thank them for their service. Outside the gates, supporters of Biden gathered holding signs that read “We love Joe,” and a brass band played.
Trump, who watched Biden’s remarks from his private jet, posted on his social media platform that the president “was barely understandable, and sooo bad!”
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