President Biden addressed the nation on Wednesday for the first time since dropping out of the 2024 race, saying he was passing the torch to a “new generation” while renewing his support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for the Democratic nomination.
“I think the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our country. You know, there’s a time and a place for years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and place for the new. The place for voices, fresh voices, yes, young voices, is now.
The speech lasted about 11 minutes, with the president sitting at a determined desk in the Oval Office touting his years in politics and his decision to quit. The president’s family attended the speech, including first lady Jill Biden, daughter Ashley Biden, son Hunter Biden and others.
The president said he was looking forward to his final six months in office, including pushing for Supreme Court reform.
“I will call for reform of the Supreme Court because it is critical to our democracy,” he said. There have been recent media reports that Biden is considering supporting legislation that would seek to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices and create new enforceable ethics rules.
Biden withdraws from rematch with Trump in 2024, ending campaign for second term in White House
President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, announcing his decision to abandon his Democratic presidential re-election bid. (Evan Vucci, AP Billiards)
After Biden was diagnosed with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) last Wednesday, he self-quarantined in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and announced his withdrawal from the presidential race in an X post on Sunday night. After experiencing “mild symptoms” and “general malaise” following his diagnosis, he received a negative diagnosis and returned to the White House on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s return to the nation’s capital was Biden’s first public appearance since suspending his re-election campaign on Sunday and his first since being diagnosed with COVID-19 on July 17.
In his speech Wednesday night, he cited America’s ancestors and political leaders while arguing that “democracy is at stake” this election cycle as Democrats take on former President Donald Trump.
“Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that have guided this nation. George Washington showed us that a president is not a king. Abraham Lincoln implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt inspired us to reject fear. I respect this office, but I love it more My country,” he said.
“It has been the honor of my life to serve as your president, but in defending a precarious democracy I believe is more important than any title. I draw strength and find joy in working for the American people. But the sacred task of perfecting our union, is not It’s not my business, it’s your business.
Republican senators ask Cabinet to invoke 25th Amendment against Biden after suspending re-election campaign
Trump responded to the speech on Truth Social, calling it “almost incomprehensible and so terrible!”
President Joe Biden walks down the steps of Air Force One on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. self-isolate at home. (Susan Walsh/AP)
The 46th president has faced growing pressure from Democratic allies and traditional media to drop out of the race since June 27, when he performed poorly and mixed up in a debate with Trump that left the president losing Compared with other recent public events, it seems more low-key.
The debate reignited concerns among conservatives and critics about Biden’s declining mental acuity and marked the beginning of pressure from Democrats to oust him in favor of a candidate they believe is better suited to confront Trump.
Trump calls Biden “unfit for office”: “Who will run the country for the next five months?”
dozens of congressmen began to publicly thank Biden for his work in the White House and decades of public service while calling on him to pass the torch to another candidate.
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and Vice President Kamala Harris on the Truman Balcony of the White House in Washington, DC, United States, Thursday, July 4, 2024. Independence Day holiday. Photographer: Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Tierney L. Cross)
Shortly after the announcement on Sunday afternoon, Biden endorsed Vice President Harris to take over the mantle and run for the party’s nomination. By Tuesday, Harris had had enough Representative locked nominationwill be certified by the Democratic National Committee next month.
He added in Wednesday’s speech that Harris was “strong” and “capable” while praising her as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
“I want to thank our great Vice President Kamala Harris. She’s experienced. She’s strong, she’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner for me and a leader for our country. The choice now is So you, the American people,” he said.
10 Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris could nominate as 2024 running mate
Vice President Kamala Harris was tasked early in the Biden administration with addressing the root causes of mass migration from Central and South America. (Reuters/Kevin Mohart/Pool)
Now that the president is out of the election cycle, conservative lawmakers and others are calling on Biden to resign from the White House, arguing he is unfit to run the country for about six years if he fails to run for reelection.
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to be president. He must resign immediately. November 5 cannot come soon enough,” House Speaker Mike JohnsonLouisiana Republicans said in a statement Sunday.
Others called on Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment amid growing concerns about Biden’s health. Tennessee Representative Andy Ogus Wrote a letter to Harris On Thursday, she asked her to invoke the 25th Amendment, telling Fox News Digital exclusively that Biden is withdrawing from the race “because he is unfit to be president, and everyone in America knows that.”
“I have been saying for more than a year that Biden’s deteriorating health makes him unable to lead the country. With his recent exclusion after being diagnosed with COVID-19, it is now more obvious than ever that he must Resign or be forced to step down.
BUTLER, PA – JULY 13: Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump is ousted from office during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said the gunman died after injuring former U.S. President Donald Trump in a shooting that killed one spectator and injured another. (Anna Chanmemaker/Getty Images)
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Biden’s announcement of his withdrawal comes more than a week after an assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, and days after the Republican National Convention concluded in Milwaukee, where Trump was assassinated. Officially announced as the Republican nominee.
