Biden says it's time for 'fresh, younger voices,' explains why he ended 2024 bid
Biden says it’s time for ‘fresh, younger voices’ in politics
"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," President Joe Biden said during his Oval Office address Wednesday. He said he thought the decision to withdraw from the 2024 election was best to unite his party.
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden made his first address since his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
The address gave Biden a chance to try to shape how history views his one and only term in office.
It gave the public a chance to hear directly from Biden his rationale for dropping out of the 2024 after weeks of insisting he believed himself to be the best candidate to take on former President Trump, whom he has called an existential threat to the nation’s democracy.
"The defense of democracy is more important than any title," Biden said. "Nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. And that includes personal ambition."
Both Biden and Harris have framed the election as a choice between freedom and chaos, but he tried to steer clear of overt campaigning from his official office and never mentioned Trump by name.
"The great thing about America is, here, kings and dictators do not rule," Biden said. "The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America — lies in your hands."
Biden’s candidacy faced a crisis of confidence from Democrats after his abysmal debate against Trump nearly a month ago, where he spoke haltingly, appeared ashen and failed to rebut his predecessor’s attacks.
It sparked a mutiny within his party over not just 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 outlast the skepticism and quell the concerns with interviews and tepid rallies, but the pressure to step aside only mounted from the party’s political elites and from ordinary voters.
On Sunday afternoon, while isolating at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home with COVID-19, Biden finally bowed in a letter posted to his account on X announcing his decision to leave the race, followed up later by an endorsement of Harris.
"I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation," Biden said, saying he wanted to make room for "fresh voices, yes, younger voices."
He added, "That is the best way to unite our nation."
Biden’s address was being carried by the 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 to cure cancer, and call for Supreme Court reform.
Biden was also looking to make the case for his legacy of sweeping domestic legislation and the renewal of alliances abroad. The way history will remember his time in office and his historic decision to step aside is intertwined with Harris’ electoral result in November, particularly as the vice president runs tightly on the achievements of the Biden administration.
His advisers say he intends to hold campaign events and fundraisers benefiting Harris, albeit at a far slower pace than if he had remained on the ballot himself.
Harris advisers will ultimately have to decide how to deploy the president, whose popularity sagged as voters in both parties questioned his fitness for office.
Biden, aides say, knows that if Harris loses, he’ll be criticized for staying in the race too long and not giving her or another Democrat time to effectively mount a campaign against Trump. If she wins, she’ll ensure his policy victories are secured and expanded, and he’ll be remembered for a Washingtonian decision to step aside for the next generation of leadership.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.