President Joe Biden said Wednesday he was “passing the torch to a new generation” as he explained his abrupt exit from the 2024 presidential race to Americans for the first time Wednesday night in an Oval Office speech that described more than 50 years in politics.
“I respect that office,” Biden said. “But I love my country more.”
Biden, 81, rejected weeks of pressure from Democrats to step down after a disastrous performance in the June 27 debate, saying at one point that only “the Lord Almighty” could convince him to leave.
“I decided that the best way is to pass the torch to a new generation. This is the best way to unite our nation,” Biden said.
Biden made his decision after days of soul-searching and anguish over internal polls that predicted he could lose to Republican Donald Trump in November and take other Democrats with him.
“The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators don’t rule. The people rule. History is in your hands. Power is in your hands. The idea of America is in your hands,” Biden said.
This is Biden’s first extended public statement since he bowed to pressure from fellow Democrats and announced Sunday via social media that he has decided not to seek re-election on Nov. 5.
Biden is the first sitting president not to seek re-election since 1968 when Lyndon Johnson, under fire for his handling of the Vietnam War, abruptly dropped out of the campaign on March 31.
Biden also joins James K Polk, James Buchanan, Rutherford B Hayes, Calvin Coolidge and Harry Truman as presidents who all decided not to run for a second elected term.
Biden faced calls to resign after his difficult debate performance against Trump raised troubling questions about his mental acuity.
Since he stepped aside, however, Democrats have rallied around him, paying tribute to his character and record as president.
Crowds of staff filed into the White House earlier in the evening to watch the speech together. An official said a reception and “watch party” was being held across the state of the White House for Biden’s speech.
The White House has denied that Biden is cognitively impaired despite a recent increase in verbal slips.
Biden said he would focus on his job as president during his remaining six months in office. He will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday about efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza.
It was the fourth time Biden has used the official Oval Office space since taking office in 2021. His last Oval Office speech was on July 15, when he urged Americans to tone down political rhetoric following Trump’s assassination attempt .
Biden’s political career began when he was elected to the Senate in 1972 at the age of 29, becoming the sixth youngest US senator. He will complete his term in the White House on January 20, 2025, as the oldest American president when he will already be 82 years old.
“Defending democracy is more important than any title,” Biden said. “I draw strength and find joy in working for the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our Union does not concern me. Is for you. Your families. Your future. It’s about ‘We the People’.”
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