Joe Biden delivered a speech Wednesday to explain his historic decision to withdraw from the presidential race, delivering a reflective and hopeful message about the need to open a new chapter in American history.
“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merit a second term, but nothing — nothing — can stand in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,” Biden said in the Oval Office.
“So I’ve decided that the best way to move 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. And that time and place is now.”
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The speech came three days after Biden surprised the country by announcing that he was giving up his presidential campaign, less than four months before Election Day. Reflecting on the legacy of his five decades in public life, Biden vowed to keep working to improve the lives of Americans as he concludes his first — and now only — term as president. Some Republican lawmakers have suggested that Biden should resign rather than finish out his term, but the president flatly rejected those calls on Wednesday.
“Over the next six months, I will focus on my work as president,” he said. “That means continuing to lower costs for hardworking families [and] to grow our economy. I will continue to defend our personal freedoms and our civil rights – from the right to vote to the right to choose.”
Biden specifically pledged to “continue working to end the war in Gaza, bring all hostages home, and bring peace and security to the Middle East.” Hours before Biden’s speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a divisive address to a rare joint session of Congress in which he called for “total victory” in the war.
Biden cited his own foreign policy leadership, including his staunch support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia, as one of his proudest achievements. He reminded voters of the legislation he has signed to address the climate crisis, reduce gun violence and expand access to health care. Reflecting on his 2021 inauguration day, weeks after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and less than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, Biden marveled at how far the country had come in such a short time.
“We were in the grip of the worst pandemic of a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the worst assault on our democracy since the Civil War,” Biden said. “We came together as Americans. We got through it. We came out stronger, more prosperous, more secure.”
After dropping out of the race on Sunday, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who already had enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination next month. In his speech, Biden reiterated his praise for Harris and underscored the immense choice facing voters this November.
“I want to thank our great Vice President Kamala Harris,” Biden said. “She’s experienced, she’s tough, she’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner for me and a leader for our country. Now the choice is yours, the American people.”
Before Biden’s announcement on Sunday, more than 30 Democratic members of Congress had called on the president to withdraw from the race following his disastrous debate performance last month. In the days leading up to the announcement, polls showed a growing number of Democrats believing Biden should step aside as Donald Trump’s narrow lead in the race began to grow.
Early polls conducted since Sunday have suggested a neck-and-neck race between Trump and Harris, but the vice president already appears to be in a slightly stronger position than Biden. Even as polls indicate a neck-and-neck race, Biden expressed confidence that Americans would vote to preserve democracy in November. Citing the Declaration of Independence and founding father Benjamin Franklin, Biden made the tried-and-true argument for American exceptionalism.
“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,” Biden said. “That idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident. We are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights: Life, Liberty, the pursuit of Happiness. We have never fully lived up to that, that sacred idea, but we have never walked away from it either, and I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.”
It was a message that echoed Biden’s 2020 campaign slogan, which described the election against Trump as a “battle for the soul of the nation.” That battle is still ongoing, Biden said, and it is now up to the American people to decide how it ends.
“The great thing about America is that kings and dictators don’t rule here. The people do,” Biden said. “History is in your hands. Power is in your hands. The idea of America is in your hands. You just have to keep the faith — keep the faith — and remember who we are.”
