Biden calls his decision to step aside from 2024 race a matter of defending democracy

Washington (CNN) — President Joe Biden, speaking to the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday evening, framed his decision to step aside from the 2024 presidential race as a matter of saving democracy and passing “the torch to a new generation.”

In a poignant speech that marked the beginning of the closing chapter of his presidency and half-century in public service, Biden acknowledged that uniting the party required sacrificing personal ambition for what he sees as a greater good.

“I revere this office. But I love my country more,” the president said

“It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in defense of democracy, which is at stake – and is more important than any title. I draw strength and I find joy in working for the American people,” he said.

While Biden did not mention Donald Trump by name, he tried to draw a clear contrast with the former president, whose ambition led him to claim victory in an election he did not win four years ago.

“The great thing about America is, here, kings and dictators do not rule,” Biden said. “The people do. History is in your hands, the idea of America lies in your hands.”

Biden is no longer the presumptive Democratic nominee trying to convince the nation that he still has the stamina and faculties to take on Trump in an election in which he warned nothing less than democracy itself is in the balance. Instead, he’s now a lame-duck, having thrown his political weight behind his vice president, Kamala Harris, after being convinced by fellow Democrats that he is politically incapable of seeking a second term in office.

“You know, in recent weeks it’s 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,” Biden said. “But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition. 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.”

His speech marked his first extensive remarks since his announcement Sunday that he was not running and was the first time many Americans have seen him since he tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

During his remarks, which lasted about 11 minutes, Biden worked to shape the first draft of his own legacy, heralding his first-term accomplishments while looking ahead to goals he hopes to achieve in his remaining months in power, including Supreme Court reform, ending the war in Gaza, upholding American alliances and working toward his cancer-ending moonshot.

He also championed his vice president, who’s now taking his place on the ticket.

Harris, Biden said, is “experienced. She’s tough. She’s 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,” he added.

Oval Office addresses have historically been serious moments for presidents to speak to the American people at times of national crisis or to make major policy announcements. It will be only the fourth time Biden has addressed the nation from the setting as president. And it’s the second time in just 10 days, following Biden’s remarks to the country earlier this month following the assassination attempt against Trump. He’s also used the setting to speak about Hamas’ attack on Israel last year and to laud the passage of a bipartisan budget agreement.

Biden, who returned to the White House on Tuesday after testing negative for Covid-19, began drafting his highly anticipated address while isolating with the virus in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, senior officials told CNN.

The president and his longtime communications aide, Mike Donilon, began early work on the speech shortly after Biden went public with his decision to exit the race, after three weeks of mounting intraparty pressure. (Donilon, a former pollster, played an instrumental role in presenting the data that informed Biden’s decision to step aside.)

He also received speechwriting assistance from historian Jon Meacham.

Harris, who quickly secured the backing of enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination, hit the campaign trail Tuesday in the key battleground state of Wisconsin, where she sought to draw a contrast with Trump. She appeared at a sorority event in Indianapolis on Wednesday, then traveled to Houston, which is where she watched Biden’s remarks.

The former president held his first campaign rally since Biden dropped out in North Carolina on Wednesday, attacking Harris as a “radical liberal” who voters will reject in November. After Biden delivered his Oval Office speech, Trump said on social media that is was “barely understandable, and sooo bad.”

A CNN poll released Wednesday found no clear leader in the race between Harris and Trump, but it showed a closer contest than earlier CNN polling of the Biden-Trump matchup.

The new CNN poll finds voters widely supportive of both Biden’s decision to step aside and his choice to remain in office through the end of his term. But Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters are closely split over whether the next nominee should continue Biden’s policies (53%) or take the country in a new direction (47%). Desire for a new direction is largely concentrated among younger voters and voters of color.

Biden himself is expected to turn his attention in the coming days and weeks to the legacy of his one-term presidency. But, as one source told CNN, with the decision to drop out of the 2024 race only days old, such discussions have not begun in earnest.

But on Wednesday, he took the opportunity to marvel at his own, uniquely American, life story.

“It has been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years. Nowhere else could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as president of the United States.”

“Here I am,” he added. “That’s what’s so special about America.”

The president then walked out to the Rose Garden, where he addressed hundreds of White House staffers who walked over to the executive mansion to see Biden and share ice cream with him.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Sam Fossum contributed to this report.

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