President Biden will speak about his decision not to run for reelection in an Oval Office address Wednesday night, his first remarks on the subject since he announced Sunday he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation,” he is expected to say, according to an excerpt released by the White House. “That is the best way to unite our nation.”
For the remaining six months in his term, Mr. Biden plans to be focused on the job of the presidency and is expected to promise, “I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families and grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights – from the right to vote – to the right to choose.”
“The defense of democracy is more important than any title,” he’ll say. “I draw strength, and find joy, in working for the American people. 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.'”
And Mr. Biden, who ran on the idea that democracy itself was at stake in 2020 and is again in 2024 with Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, will remind Americans that they are the ones who will determine America’s destiny: “The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule. The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America – lies in your hands.”
Democrats have fallen in line behind Vice President Kamala Harris, after Mr. Biden endorsed her for the nomination soon after announcing he would end his campaign. Mr. Biden cannot appoint a successor for the Democratic nomination, but since his announcement on Sunday, Harris has secured the endorsements of a majority of Democratic delegates.
The president has said little since his decision while he recovers from COVID-19 symptoms at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The White House said Tuesday that he tested negative, although it’s not clear when he took the test. Mr. Biden told reporters Tuesday upon his return from Delaware that he’s feeling “well.”
In his Oval Office address, the president is expected to lay out what he plans to accomplish in his final six months as president.
Oval Office addresses are rare for a president, including for Mr. Biden. Before last week, Mr. Biden had only delivered two Oval Office addresses in his three-and-a-half years as president. Last week, , following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
Although Mr. Biden plans to participate in the campaign, stepping down from the Democratic ticket allows him to focus on the task of the presidency itself, away from the physically taxing campaign trail.
“I’m not going anywhere,” the president told his campaign staff — who are now Harris’s campaign staff — Monday. “I’m going to be out there on the campaign with her, with Kamala. I’m going to be working like hell, both as a sitting president, getting legislation passed, as well as — and campaigning.”
This Oval Office address, as well as any speech the president gives at the Democratic National Convention, will be one of the most critical of not just Mr. Biden’s presidency, but of his legacy, as he completes more than five decades in public service.
How to watch President Biden’s Oval Office address
- What: President Biden gives Oval Office address after dropping out of 2024 race
- Date: Wednesday, July 24, 2024
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: White House – Washington, D.C.
- Online stream: Live on CBS News in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device.
- TV: CBS stations (find your local station here)