Complete Text of Biden Speech on Ceasing His Campaign for Reelection
“You now hold our republic in your hands,” Biden Speech, pleading for Americans to “preserve our democracy.”
In a statement from the Oval Office on Wednesday night, President Joe Biden characterized his decision to withdraw from the reelection race as a “defense of democracy”.
“I love my country more than I love this office.” “The protection of democracy holds greater significance than any title,” stated Biden. “Working for the American people brings me joy and strength. However, I am not the one doing this holy work of perfecting our oneness. It concerns you. Your households. Your prospects. The topic is “We the People.”
It is an uncommon occurrence for an American president to step down willingly, unhindered by the constraints of the Constitution or the electorate’s rejection. After succumbing to intense pressure from within his own party to withdraw as a candidate, Biden justified his decision as one that would best serve the interests of the country and urged citizens to stand behind him in order to “preserve our democracy.”
He and other Democrats have repeatedly claimed that former President Donald Trump poses a threat to democracy because of his failure to back down after losing to Biden in the 2020 election.
Here are real-time updates regarding Biden’s address.
“The United States must decide between progressing ahead or regressing,” stated Biden, omitting any reference of Trump. Among hate and optimism. between division and unity.”
“You now hold the reins of our republic,” he continued.
Three days after withdrawing from the race, the speech marked the start of Biden’s attempts to establish his legacy after a disastrous debate performance in late June that led some in his own party to demand that he leave the race and give another candidate a chance to challenge Trump. Many Democrats thought that Biden’s unimpressive debate performance and sluggish efforts to improve it rendered his chances of winning reelection untenable.
In remarks that were occasionally halting and delivered in a low tone, Biden stated, “I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.
Trump attacked his old rival on Wednesday night during a campaign rally in North Carolina. “Three days ago, we officially defeated the worst president in the history of our country, crooked Joe Biden,” he stated.
Early on Sunday afternoon, Biden declared he was giving up on running for reelection. He made the announcement in a post on X, and he followed it up about thirty minutes later by endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, in the Democratic primary.
She gained the party’s support swiftly, and as early as August 1 and as late as August 7, she is predicted to win a virtual roll call of Democratic delegates, maybe without any opposition.
Harris was praised by Biden on Wednesday night.”She’s experienced, she’s tough , she’s capable,” Biden stated. “She’s been an incredible partner to me and leader for our country.”
Biden became the first eligible incumbent to give up his party’s presidential candidacy since Lyndon Johnson in 1968 when he gave it to her. That was two years before to Biden’s initial run for office in Delaware, which he ultimately won—a seat on the New Castle County Council.
After a closely contested battle, he defeated Sen. Caleb Boggs, a Republican, two years later at the age of 29. Biden would go on to win six more Senate terms, serving as head of the Foreign Relations and Judiciary committees at various points. His most recent victory occurred in 2008, the same year he was chosen as vice president. In 2012, Biden was re-elected as vice president alongside President Barack Obama. After coming out of retirement, he trounced Trump in November 2020 after emerging victorious in a wide field of competitors for the Democratic presidential nominee.
Despite having run and lost in the presidential primaries in 1988 and 2008, he will end his career as the unbeaten candidate in general elections thanks to his decision to retire rather than continue on the ballot in 2024. It also signals the conclusion of a presidential-focused career. In 1980, the first election in which he was mature enough to do so, Biden first thought about seeking the presidency. He also entertained candidacies in the majority of the years in which there was no Democratic president.
Early in his administration, Biden gained the backing of progressives in Congress despite once being seen as a centrist within his party. He and his Democratic allies assert that he has implemented the most comprehensive domestic program since the Johnson administration, a claim that is difficult to quantify and is contested by others.
Regardless of the measure, Biden signed into law significant bills that had a significant impact on the nation, such as the nearly $2 trillion Covid-relief measure, the trillion-dollar infrastructure package, and the Inflation Reduction Act, which contained important provisions aimed at containing climate change.
Not only did Harris become the first Asian American, Black, and female vice president, but he also named Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, to the position.
The previous night, on Wednesday, Biden stated that his record “merited a second term.”
However, he declared, “nothing, nothing can stand in the way of our democracy being saved. This encompasses individual aspirations.”
Until a new president takes office on January 20, Biden promised to carry out his plan.
He declared, “I will be focused on doing my job as president over the next six months.” That implies that I’ll keep bringing down expenses for hardworking households and boosting the national economy. I will continue to stand up for our civil rights and individual liberties, including the freedom of choice and the ability to vote.
He also made a suggestion that Americans should reject his longstanding opponent by acknowledging the threat he perceives of a second Trump administration.
He declared, “The wonderful thing about America is that here, kings and dictators do not rule.” “People actually do. You hold the power to change history. The initiative is in your grasp. America’s concept is in your hands.
