Addressing the nation on camera for the first time since the announcement his decision not to run for re-election, President Joe Biden said in the Oval Office that saving democracy is more important than any title and acknowledged that it was time to “pass the torch” to a new generation of leaders.
Years ago, Biden called himself a transitional candidate and listed Vice President Kamala Harris among the younger generation of leaders he saw as the future of the Democratic Party. Now is the time to make way for these newer, younger voices, he said, like Harris’s, whom he supported the nomination.
Although he did not mention the Republican candidate and former president President Donald Trump Biden has referred to Trump by name as a threat to democracy.
“I believe that my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for the future of America, all merit a second term,” the president said. “But nothing, nothing, can stand in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition. And so I have decided that the best path forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That is the best way to unite our nation. You know, there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. But there is also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now.”
Biden hinted that he had reached the decision to give up partly because of doubts about whether he could defeat Trump.
“I revere this office, but I love my country more,” the president said. “It has been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I believe that is more important than any title.”
Biden took a moment to reflect and marvel at where his life had begun, long before his 51-year political journey.
“Nowhere else in the world could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton and Claymont one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as president of the United States,” he said. “But here I am. That’s what’s so special about America.”
The president expressed his gratitude to the American people and praised the country as a nation of possibilities.
“It has been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for more than 50 years,” he said, adding, “I have given my heart and soul to so many nations, as have so many others. I am blessed a million times over 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.”
For the remaining six months of his term, Biden said he plans to focus on the work of the presidency. He plans to continue trying to lower costs for families, defend personal liberties, protect voting rights and fight cancer. He said he also plans to continue speaking out against gun violence and calling for Supreme Court reform.
Abroad, the president said he would continue to strengthen NATO, support Ukraine’s fight for freedom and work to end the war in Gaza.
Mr. Biden, who ran on the idea that democracy itself was at stake in 2020 and is running again in 2024 with Mr. Trump as the Republican nominee, reminded Americans that they are the ones who will determine America’s fate: “The great thing about America is that here, kings and dictators do not rule. The people rule. History is in your hands. Power is in your hands. The idea of America — it is in your hands.”
The president also listed what he believes are his greatest accomplishments, including closing the racial wealth gap, passing bipartisan infrastructure funding, securing victories against Big Pharma, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, compensating veterans exposed to toxic materials and placing the first African-American woman on the Supreme Court.
White House staff gathered at the White House to watch the president’s remarks.
Democrats have rallied behind Harris after Biden endorsed her for the nomination shortly after announcing he would end his campaign. Biden cannot name a successor to the Democratic nomination, but since his announcement on Sunday, Harris secured support of the majority of Democratic delegates.
The president has said little since his decision while he recovered from the symptoms of COVID-19 at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The White House said Tuesday that he had tested negative, and Biden told reporters upon returning from Delaware that he was feeling “fine.”
Oval Office speeches are rare for a president, including Biden. Before last week, Biden had given just two Oval Office speeches in his three and a half years as president. Last week, he gave his third Oval Office speech, following the assassination attempt on former President Trump.
While Biden plans to campaign, leaving the Democratic ticket allows him to focus on the task of the presidency itself, away from the physically demanding campaign.
“I’m not going anywhere,” the president told his campaign team — now Harris’s campaign team — on Monday. “I’m going to be there on the campaign trail with her, with Kamala. I’m going to work like hell, both as the sitting president, getting legislation passed, and — and campaigning.”
This Oval Office address, like any speech the president delivers next month at the Democratic National Convention, is among the most critical not only of Biden’s presidency but of his legacy, spanning more than five decades of public service.
“In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future,” the president said from the Oval Office. “I have made my choice. I have made my views known. I would like to thank our great Vice President, Kamala Harris. She is experienced, she is strong, she is capable. She has been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country. Now the choice is yours, the American people’s.”
The story was first published by CBS News on Wednesday, July 24 at 9:03 p.m. ET.
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