President Joe Biden said “the defense of democracy is more important than any title,” explaining his decision to drop his reelection bid and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in an Oval Office speech Wednesday.
The speech offered the audience its first chance to hear directly from Biden his reasoning for dropping out of the 2024 race after weeks of insisting he believed he was the best candidate to take on former President Donald Trump, whom he has called an existential threat to the country’s democracy.
It also gave Biden a chance to try to shape how history views his single term in office.
“Defending democracy is more important than any title,” Biden said. “Nothing, nothing can stand in the way of saving our democracy. And that includes personal ambition.”
Biden added: “I revere this office, but I love my country more.”
Biden’s candidacy faced a crisis of confidence from Democrats after his dismal debate against Trump nearly a month ago, where he spoke haltingly, appeared pale and failed to rebut his predecessor’s attacks. It set off a mutiny within his party over not only whether he was capable of beating Trump in November, but also whether at 81, he was still fit for the high-pressure job.
Biden tried to overcome skepticism and calm concerns with tepid interviews and rallies, but pressure to step aside only increased from the party’s political elites and ordinary voters.
On Sunday afternoon, while isolating at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with COVID-19, Biden finally bowed in a letter posted to his X-rated account announcing his decision to drop out of the race, later followed by an endorsement of Harris.
“I’ve decided that the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation,” Biden said, saying he wanted to make room for “new generations of voices, yes, younger voices.”
He added: “That is the best way to unite our nation.”
Biden’s speech was carried by major broadcast and cable news networks. He pledged to remain focused on being president until his term expires at noon on Jan. 20, 2025, saying he would work to end the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, fight to boost government support for curing cancer and call for Supreme Court reform.
The president used the speech to describe the stakes of the election, which both Biden and Harris have framed as a choice between freedom and chaos, but he sought to avoid open campaigning from his official office and never mentioned Trump by name.
“The great thing about America is that kings and dictators don’t rule,” Biden said. “The people do. History is in their hands. Power is in their hands. The idea of America is in their hands.”
Biden was also looking to uphold his legacy of sweeping domestic laws and renewed alliances abroad. How history will remember his time in office and his historic decision to step aside is intertwined with Harris’s election outcome in November, particularly as the vice president draws closely on the achievements of the Biden administration.
Her advisers say she intends to hold campaign and fundraising events for Harris, albeit at a much slower pace than if she had remained on the ticket.
Harris’ advisers will ultimately have to decide how to deploy the president, whose popularity has plummeted as voters in both parties questioned his suitability for office.
Biden, aides say, knows that if Harris loses, he will be criticized for staying in the race too long and not giving her or any other Democrat time to effectively mount a campaign against Trump. If she wins, he will ensure that his political victories are secured and expanded, and he will be remembered for a Washingtonian decision to step aside for the next generation of leadership.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that any possibility of Biden resigning from office — which would allow Harris to run as incumbent — was “ridiculous.”
Jean-Pierre said Biden “doesn’t regret” his decision to stay in the race for so long, or his decision to drop out over the weekend. He said Biden’s decision had nothing to do with his health.
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