In a speech from the Oval Office, President Biden said he had decided not to seek reelection because it had become clear that doing so would unite the Democratic Party after weeks of turmoil within his party and growing pressure for him to resign.
The president had been adamant that only a higher power could change his mind about running again, but he ultimately relented after being pleaded with by congressional leaders to back down or risk Democrats losing both houses of Congress in November.
“The past few weeks have made it clear to me that we need to unite our party on this important effort,” he said.
“We cannot let anything get in the way of protecting our democracy, including personal ambition. So I decided the best way to move forward is to pass the baton to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our country,” the president added.
“The cause of the nation is bigger than any one of us,” he said.
Present in the Oval Office were First Lady Jill Biden, their children, their spouses and children, several longtime political advisers and White House staff.
Biden has endorsed Harris, and Democrats say she could revitalize the Democratic Party and improve its chances of defeating former President Trump. According to a reporter who accompanied Harris, she watched Biden’s speech in Houston, Texas.
Biden announced he was dropping out of the race in a letter posted to social media on Sunday after reports that leading Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had tried to convince him his chances of beating Trump were fading.
“There’s a time and a place for years of experience in public life,” Biden said in his speech. “There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices — yes, young voices — and that time is now.”
The calls for him to resign came after Biden, 81, struggled to finish his thoughts during a debate in late June and spoke in a low, raspy voice. He continued to insist for three weeks that he would remain in the race and continue campaigning before finally backing out.
In his speech, the president called for preserving democracy, a running theme of his administration since defeating President Donald Trump in 2020.
“We find ourselves in this moment where we can see those we disagree with not as enemies but as friends, as fellow Americans. Can we do that? Does public persona still matter?” he said.
He pointed to a quote by Benjamin Franklin that hangs in his office, saying the Founding Fathers gave America “a republic, if we can keep it.”
“Whether we preserve our republic is now in your hands,” he said.
“History is in your hands. Power is in your hands. The American idea is in your hands,” Biden added.
He made it clear that he would not step down as president and would serve out the next six months.
The president outlined his plans for when he leaves office in January, which include ending the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, reforming the Supreme Court and continuing work on reproductive rights and the Cancer Moonshot initiative, among other priorities.
The president also praised Harris, calling her “experienced,” “tough” and “capable” — without once mentioning President Trump by name.
He also expressed his gratitude for his 50 years of service in the government.
“There’s no place on earth where a stuttering kid from humble origins in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, could one day sit at a determined desk in the Oval Office,” Biden said. “I, like so many others, have given my heart and soul to my country, and I hope you all have some idea how grateful I am.”
