Biden to speak about ending his 2024 reelection campaign
President Biden will speak about his decision not to run for reelection in an Oval Office address Wednesday night, his first remarks on the subject since he announced Sunday he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
"I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation," he is expected to say, according to an excerpt released by the White House. "That is the best way to unite our nation."
For the remaining six months in his term, Mr. Biden plans to be focused on the job of the presidency and is expected to promise, "I will 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."
"The defense of democracy is more important than any title," he'll say. "I draw strength, and find joy, in working for the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our Union is not about me. It's about you. Your families. Your futures. It's about 'We the People.'"
And Mr. Biden, who ran on the idea that democracy itself was at stake in 2020 and is again in 2024 with Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, will remind Americans that they are the ones who will determine America's destiny: "The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule. The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America – lies in your hands."
Mr. Biden made the shocking announcement Sunday that he would end his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris shortly afterward. In his initial letter, Mr. Biden said he would address the nation about his decision sometime this week. He has been in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, recovering from COVID since Thursday.
Mr. Biden's news about exiting the race has dominated headlines, but he has not yet spoken publicly about the decision. Many Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, praised his decision and gave lengthy tributes. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, one of the campaign's co-chairs, said on CBS News shortly after the announcement that Mr. Biden's decision to withdraw from the race "reflects the very best of who Joe Biden is."
"As he was going through the excruciating loss of his beloved son Beau, it was in Rehoboth, in Wilmington, in prayer and surrounded by all who have loved and supported him for decades in Delaware that he found strength," Coons said. "As he was finding his way through the tragic loss of his wife and daughter back in 1972 that began his career in the Senate, it was in Delaware and it was in his faith that he found the grounding and the strength to be able to get back up and continue, and in every chapter in his life, in politics, in service, in his family and at home, he's been grounded. Joe Biden, more than anyone I've ever known, speaks to what is best in the American spirit."
Harris, meanwhile, has already begun campaigning. Neither Mr. Biden nor anyone else can appoint a successor for the Democratic nomination, but Harris has been working to secure delegates in time for the convention in Chicago, which kicks off on Aug. 19.
By Monday night, Harris had secured the backing of enough delegates to win the nomination in Chicago. She visited the campaign's headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, where she was met with cheers and applause. She will be giving her first campaign speech in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Her campaign also announced that it had raised $100 million since its launch on Sunday. A Democratic super PAC, Future Forward PAC, said Monday it had raised roughly $150 million in fundraising commitments since Mr. Biden's announcement. Mr. Biden's fundraising had lagged behind former President Donald Trump in the spring, with Trump's campaign reporting it raised $331 million between March and June, compared to $264 million raised by Mr. Biden's campaign.
Weijia Jiang contributed to this report.
