President Biden addressed the nation for the first time on Wednesday since bowing out of the 2024 election, saying he is passing the torch to “a new generation” while again throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in her campaign to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination.
“I decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation. You know, there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now,” Biden said.
The speech lasted roughly 11 minutes, with the president sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office while touting his years in political office and decision to bow out. Members of the president’s family were in attendance for the speech, including first lady Jill Biden, daughter Ashley Biden, son Hunter Biden and others.
The president said he looks forward to the work before him in his final six months in office, including pushing for Supreme Court reforms.
“I’m gonna call for Supreme Court reform, because this is critical to our democracy,” he said. Media reports recently surfaced that Biden is considering supporting legislation that would attempt to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices and a new enforceable ethics code.
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Biden announced his exit from the presidential race on Sunday evening in an X post while self-isolating in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, following a COVID-19 diagnosis last Wednesday. After suffering “mild symptoms” and “general malaise” after his diagnosis, he received a negative diagnosis on Tuesday of this week and returned to the White House.
His trip back to the nation’s capital on Tuesday marked the first time Biden was seen in public since suspending his re-election bid on Sunday and the first time since being diagnosed with COVID-19 on July 17.
His speech Wednesday evening included citing American forefathers and political leaders while arguing “democracy is at stake” this election cycle as the Democratic Party squares up against former President Donald Trump.
“Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington showed us presidents are not kings. Abraham Lincoln implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt, who inspired us to reject fear. I revere this office, but I love my country more,” he said.
“It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president, but in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think is more important than any title. I draw strength and I find joy in working for the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our union, it’s not about me. It’s about you.”
Members of the Biden family were seen tearing up and hugging the president after he wrapped up his speech.
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Trump responded to the speech on Truth Social, saying it was “was barely understandable, and sooo bad!”
The 46th president had faced mounting pressure from his Democrat allies and legacy media outlets to bow out of the race since June 27, when he delivered a botched debate performance against Trump that was riddled with garbled remarks and where the president lost his train of thought and appeared more subdued than during other recent public events.
The debate reignited concern among conservatives and critics that Biden’s mental acuity had slipped, while it marked the beginning of a pressure campaign among Democrats to oust Biden in favor of a candidate they believed is better suited to take on Trump.
Dozens of members of Congress began publicly thanking Biden for his work in the White House and decades in public office while calling on him to pass the torch to another candidate.
Shortly after his announcement on Sunday afternoon, Biden endorsed Vice President Harris to pick up the mantle and make a run for the party’s nomination. As of Tuesday, Harris had enough delegates to lock up the nomination, which will be certified by the DNC next month.
He added in his speech Wednesday that Harris is “tough” and “capable” while touting her as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee.
“I’d like to thank our great Vice President Kamala Harris. She’s experienced. She’s tough, she’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country. Now the choice is up to you, the American people,” he said.
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Now that the president has dropped out of the election cycle, conservative lawmakers and others have called on Biden to resign from the White House, arguing that if he is unable to run for re-election, he’s unfit to run the nation for the roughly six months left of his tenure.
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement on Sunday.
Others have called on Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment while concerns mount over Biden’s health. Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles sent a letter to Harris on Thursday requesting she invoke the 25th Amendment, exclusively telling Fox News Digital that Biden left the race “because he isn’t up for the job of president, and everyone in America knows it.”
“I’ve said for over a year that Biden’s ever-declining health has rendered him incapable of leading the nation. With his recent reclusion following a supposed COVID diagnosis, it is now more apparent than ever that he must resign or be forced out. Since Biden has made it clear he will not resign, it is imperative that Vice President Harris move forward with invoking the provisions of the 25th Amendment to remove him forcibly. The safety and well-being of the American people and our nation depend upon it,” Ogles said.
Biden’s announcement on dropping out was made just more than a week after an assassination attempt on Trump’s life during a rally in Pennsylvania and just days after the Republican National Convention wrapped up in Milwaukee, where Trump was officially declared to be the Republican Party’s nominee.
