President Joe Biden issued an impassioned call for Americans to protect democracy and rally behind Vice President Kamala Harris in a primetime address on Wednesday following his decision to end his bid for reelection.
Biden, speaking from the Oval Office, touted his administration’s accomplishments after he entered the White House following a “winter of peril” amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He spoke of his efforts to pass landmark climate legislation and gun reform and to lower prescription drug prices. And while he said that work would continue for the remaining six months of his presidency, he felt the threat of Trump’s resurgence warranted placing personal ambition aside.
“I revere this office, but I love my country more,” the president said. “It’s been the honour of my life to serve as your president, but in the defence of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title.”
“I draw strength, and find joy, in working for the American people,” he added. “But this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me. It’s about you. Your families. Your futures. It’s about ‘We the People.’”
Biden ended his campaign on Sunday amid mounting concerns over his age and ability to challenge Trump in November. Democrats have rapidly coalesced behind Harris, who is now the party’s presumptive nominee after a majority of delegates pledged to supporter her at the Democratic National Convention next month.
Her bid has erupted onto the campaign circuit with force. The vice president has shattered donor records, raising more than $100 million in two days and earning endorsements from governors, lawmakers and unions across the nation.
Earlier this week, Biden urged Americans to embrace Harris as his successor, calling her “the best” and saying she was experienced and prepared to continue his legacy. The president echoed those sentiments on Wednesday.
“In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future,” Biden said. “I made my choice. I made my views known. … She is experienced, she’s tough, she’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country.”
The president stressed that he would continue his work fighting for American families and bolstering the economy, including plans to reform the Supreme Court. He went on to call his half-century tenure in government “the privilege of my life.”
“Nowhere else on earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the resolute desk,” Biden said. “Yet here I am.”
“The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule,” he continued. “The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands.”