President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered his first public address to the nation since abruptly dropping out of the presidential race four days ago.
Biden, who has not been seen in public since July 17 because of COVID-19, announced he was withdrawing from the presidential race in a letter posted to Twitter on Sunday. The 81-year-old president avoided questions about his decision to withdraw in his first public appearance since July 17 on Tuesday. In his fourth Oval Office address since taking office, Biden said he was withdrawing because of “unity” and urged people to vote wisely in the upcoming election. (Related: Biden's disappearance after dropping out of the election leads to calls for proof of survival)
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While touting the accomplishments of his administration, the president also told Americans that the very essence of America is at stake in the upcoming election. Biden also promoted Vice President Kamala Harris and sought to emphasize the importance of Americans voting.
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Calls for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race began just 30 minutes into his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump, when Biden stumbled over his answers and began to appear confused and confused.
“Every Democrat I know is texting me that this is awful,” former Obama campaign official Ravi Gupta tweeted just 15 minutes after the debate began.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
For weeks, leading Democrats publicly opposed Biden. The Biden campaign went into damage control mode, setting up interviews with ABC News and NBC News and press conferences for the president. The NATO press conference bought the Biden campaign more time and allowed them to get through without too much trouble.
But former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer appear to have ultimately prevailed. Faced Schumer spoke to the president about his declining approval ratings and whether he could actually beat Trump in the election. Later, privately, Schumer told the president that his decision to continue the campaign could hurt Democrats in lower-ranked polls, according to The Washington Post.
“I told you that day, as a saint, that winter, we wrapped ourselves in our winter clothes and winter possibilities, we put ourselves in the danger of the possible, we were at war. We were embroiled in the worst pandemic of this century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. We came together as Americans. We got through it. We will emerge stronger, more prosperous, more secure,” the president said, referring to Inauguration Day after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
Sticking with his theme from the announcement, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in a tweet 30 minutes later. Since then, Harris has garnered the support of leading Democrats and enough delegates to all but officially secure the nomination. Harris is running on party support, with virtually no endorsement from primary voters.
Fellow Democrats, I have decided not to seek the nomination and to focus my efforts on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My first decision as the 2020 candidate was to select Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it was the best decision I could have made… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
The president made the announcement 107 days before the November election. Biden informed most of his staff of the decision just a minute before publishing the announcement on his Twitter account. according to To the New York Times.
Amid calls for the president to resign, Biden assured the public that he would serve out his term.
“I have given my heart and soul to my country, and like so many others, I have received time and time again the love and support of the American people in return. I hope you all have some idea how grateful I am.”
