Joe Biden: the best way to unite the country is to pass the baton to a new generation
President Joe Biden delivered a speech in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday to explain his historic decision to drop out of the 2024 election and pass the baton to Kamala Harris.
Biden said he was “passing the baton to a new generation,” explaining to Americans for the first time the reason for his unexpected withdrawal from the presidential race.
“It has become clear to me in recent weeks that I must unite my party in this most important endeavor. I believe that my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all deserved a second term,” Biden said. – But nothing, nothing can stand in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition. So I’ve decided that the best way forward is to pass the baton to a new generation. It is the best way to unite our nation.”
“I deeply respect this position,” the president emphasized. – But I love my country more.”
“The great thing about America is that kings and dictators don’t rule here. The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America is in your hands,” Biden said.
In his first address to the nation since leaving the presidential race, the 81-year-old president presented his legacy as outstanding and said he would remain in office for the six months remaining in his term.
“The defense of democracy is more important than any title. I draw strength and find joy in working on behalf of the American people. I have decided that the best way to go forward is to pass the baton to a new generation. It is the best way to unite our country,” the president said.
Biden reiterated that for the next six months, he will focus on his duties as president.
“That means I will continue to lower costs for working families and grow our economy. I will continue to protect our individual freedoms and our civil rights – from the right to vote to the right to choose.”
In his Oval Office address, Biden referenced previous presidents Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as he described his love for the office he will leave in six months, capping a half-century career in public service.
During his 11-minute speech, Biden mentioned the danger he believes Americans face if Trump wins the Nov. 5 election, without mentioning the name of the Republican nominee.
He said he was withdrawing from the race to help heal the wounds inflicted on the Democratic Party and unite Democrats for victory.
Outside the camera’s view during the speech were several of Biden’s close family members and senior advisers sitting in the Oval Office. They began applauding as Biden concluded his remarks.
Near the end of the speech, Ashley Biden extended her hand to her mother, First Lady Jill Biden, who sat next to her.
Biden became the first sitting president to decide not to run for re-election since 1968, when Lyndon Johnson, criticized for his handling of the Vietnam War, abruptly ended his campaign on March 31.
In addition, Presidents James K. Polk, James Buchanan, Rutherford B. Hayes, Calvin Coolidge and Harry Truman all decided at one time not to run for a second term.
“Nowhere in the world could a child with a stutter, with humble roots in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit at a desk in the Oval Office as president of the United States,” Biden said. – But here I am.”
A crowd of staffers had entered the White House earlier in the evening to watch the speech together. Applause and cheers erupted from those who gathered in the White House Rose Garden to hear Biden speak after his address.
The White House denied rumors that Biden has any cognitive problems, despite the recent increase in reservations.
Biden said he will focus on his job as president in his remaining six months in office. He pledged to help make NATO stronger and more cohesive, stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from taking over Ukraine, work on a cease-fire agreement in Gaza and push for Supreme Court reform. He will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to discuss efforts to negotiate Gaza.
Biden’s political career began when he was elected to the Senate in 1972 at the age of 29, becoming the sixth youngest senator in U.S. history. He will complete his time in the White House on January 20, 2025 as the oldest American president, having already turned 82.
“Protecting democracy is more important than any title,” Biden said. – I draw strength and find joy in working on behalf of the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our Union is not about me. It is about you. It’s about your families. It’s about your future. It is about our people.”
Armed with Biden’s endorsement, Vice President Kamala Harris has garnered enough delegate votes to become the Democratic presidential nominee. She is ready to face Donald Trump, who has already begun campaigning.
“Because of your support, I continue to fight for the future of our country,” Harris said in a speech to a community of African-American women in Indianapolis.
She criticized Project 2025 – a radical government reform plan that has been linked to Trump – as an attempt to “return America to a dark past.”
Harris, 59, also paid tribute to Biden, saying his speech on Wednesday would focus “not only on the extraordinary work he has done, but on his work over the next six months.”
Biden stunned the world when he announced he would not seek re-election, succumbing to pressure after a failed debate with Trump last month.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that Biden’s decision had “nothing to do with his health.” She denied that the White House had concealed any possible deterioration in Biden’s condition.
Biden promised on social media X that he would address “what lies ahead for everyone and how he will finish the job for the American people” in a televised address.
He returned to the White House on Tuesday after spending nearly a week COVID-19 at his oceanfront home, spending time in isolation during which he made the decision to withdraw from the presidential race.
Republicans have called on Biden to resign and step down as president as well, saying that if he is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to lead the country either.
Biden, who has been increasingly critical of Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip, will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday.