President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he ended his bid for a second term to unify the Democratic Party and warned voters to avert a slide toward dictatorship, as the sun began to set on a political career that spanned five decades.
“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That is the best way to unite our nation,” Biden said from behind the storied Resolute Desk. “The defense of democracy … I think it’s more important than any title.
“It’s about ‘We the people.’ We can never forget that and I never have,” the 81-year-old president added, his voice still raspy after a bout with COVID-19. “I revere this office, but I love my country more.”
Without naming former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, Biden appeared to issue a warning about him to American voters, who will head to the ballot box in just over four months.
“Nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,” he said. “The great thing about America is … kings and dictators do not rule. The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. … George Washington showed us that presidents are not kings.
“Whether we keep the republic is now in your hands,” Biden said, pointing into the television camera. “I’ve given my heart and my soul for our country,” he added, calling himself “grateful.”
While he did not directly address concerns about his age, Biden did say it was time to pass the torch to “fresh voices, and yes, younger voices.”
National and swing-state polls had shown Biden losing ground to Trump in recent weeks, and he had said in one interview that “data” and his higher power were the only two things that could force him from the race. But big-money donors said they were withholding contributions to his campaign and late last week threatened to cut off Democratic congressional candidates.
Among the issues Biden vowed to work on during his last months in office was “Supreme Court reform,” but he did not offer any specific policy proposals.
Biden ran in 2020 on unifying the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic and after four years of Trump’s brash style and hard-line policies, which offended Democrats. But a variety of forces hindered that lofty goal as Republicans simultaneously cast him as the leader of a corrupt family and crooked political operation — and too senile and frail for his office.
His presidency also was hamstrung by needing to bring the pandemic to an end; skyrocketing interest rates; high prices of food, gasoline and other everyday items; then wars in Ukraine and Gaza that followed a chaotic and violent U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that he green-lighted. Team Biden’s messaging about what Democrats still call legislative and policy accomplishments never resonated with voters — and his low poll numbers showed it.
“I draw strength, and find joy, in working for the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me,” he said. “It’s about you. Your families. Your futures.”
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, earlier Wednesday described a scenario that played out over 24 historic hours over last weekend, culminating in the release of a letter from Biden announcing he would end his campaign. Shortly after that, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who has since secured enough delegates for next month’s Democratic convention to become the party’s nominee.
“He met with a small group of advisers on Saturday evening and with his family,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “Sunday afternoon, he made that decision.”
Republicans, who finished their party convention last week feeling they had momentum against a sagging rival party, reacted to Biden’s decision by accusing Democrats of covering up the president’s infirmity, and some called on Biden to resign immediately.
Jean-Pierre rejected questions suggesting White House aides withheld information from the public and press about his health and cognitive state. “There’s been no cover-up,” she told a Fox News reporter before declining to answer his question about whether Biden feels like Democratic lawmakers “stabbed him in the back” by calling for his departure.
“The president is going to continue to do what he set out to do [over] the next six months … building on the accomplishments he was able to get done,” she said.
Biden said that during his remaining time in office he will focus on working to “continue to lower costs for hard-working families and grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights – from the right to vote – to the right to choose.” He also cited unspecified efforts to lower health care costs.
Biden made a “personal, difficult decision,” Jean-Pierre said, adding, “The president has no regrets.”
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