Biden says ‘The choice is up to you, the American people’ while saying he won't seek re-election
President Biden publicly addressed the nation on Wednesday night for the first time after announcing Sunday that he had withdrawn from his pending re-election.
He cited things he has done since being inaugurated — like battling COVID-19 and trying to help the country recover from what he called the "worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."
Biden also said the election is up to the "American people," just a moment after he gave a slight endorsement to Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
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"In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future. I made my choice. I’ve made my views known," Biden said from the White House. "I would like to thank our great vice president, Kamala Harris. She is experienced, she is tough, she is 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. When you make that choice, remember the words of Benjamin Franklin hanging on my wall here in the Oval Office, alongside the busts of Dr. King and Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez."
Biden, who is 81 and has faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats over his physical appearances and mental acuity after the first presidential debate, did not mention any personal reasons for why he is stepping away.
"In recent weeks, it has become clear to me that I need to unite my party in this critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all merited a second term. But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition," the president said.
"So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation. I know there was a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now.
"Over the next six months, I will be focused on doing my job as president. That means I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose. I will keep calling out hate and extremism, making it clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period. I’m going to keep speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence, our planet from climate crisis as an existential threat."
Biden won the needed votes to clinch delegates for re-election. Now, it seems like Harris will be the presumed Democratic candidate to run against former President Trump in the general election this fall.