'I revere this office, but I love my country more,' Biden tells nation - Action News
Home WebMail Sunday, November 10, 2024, 10:27 PM | Calgary | 0.3°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
World

'I revere this office, but I love my country more,' Biden tells nation

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday explained to the American people his exceedingly rare decision to bow out of the race for re-election, saying he set aside his personalaspirationsbased on the belief that"the defence of democracy is more important than any title."

U.S. president explains his exit from electoral race, saying nothingcan come in the way of saving democracy

Joe Biden gives first national address since exiting U.S. presidential race

23 days ago
Duration 2:33
In his first address since quitting the 2024 presidential campaign, U.S. President Joe Biden says he dropped out to pass the torch to a new generation.'

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday explained to the American people his exceedingly rare decision to bow out of the race for re-election, saying he set aside his personalaspirationsbased on the belief that"the defence of democracy is more important than any title."

Biden, 81, said he believed he deserved a second term at the White House based on his leadership record, but he stepped aside to allow the Democratic Party to come together in support of the next generation after a tumultuous time in its history.

"In recent weeks, it's become clear to me that I need to unite my party in this critical endeavour," Biden said, speaking in the fourth Oval Office address of his presidency.

"Nothing nothing can come in the way of saving ourdemocracy. That includes personal ambition. I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.

"I revere this office, but I love my country more."

The 11-minute address carried the emotional heft of a concession speech but largely focused on the future, as Biden laid out his plans for the remainder of his term and threw his support behind the candidacy of Vice-President Kamala Harris. Political scientists said he focused on those two themes to cement his own legacy as a five-decade political veteran and make way for the next leader of the party a fitting coda for a man whose sense of duty runs a lifetime deep.

"His speech to me was very similar to the speech that a two-term, eight-year president would make wrapping up what they've done, what they've accomplished and what they think is to come next," saidGeorgia Kernell, an assistantpolitical science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"I think in many ways, it was a a way to package Biden as finishing his term on his terms, instead of because he was under so much pressure."

WATCH | Biden on making way for the next generation of leadership:

Time to 'pass the torch,' Biden says

23 days ago
Duration 1:02
U.S. President Joe Biden said it was time to 'pass the torch' to a new generation on Wednesday, explaining his decision to drop out of the presidential race in an address from the Oval Office.

1st time public heard Biden's own reasons for exiting race

The speech was the first chance for the public to hear directly from Biden his rationale for leaving the presidential race, days after he made his announcement Sunday afternoon following weeks of insistence that he was still the best candidate to defeat Republican Donald Trump on Nov. 5.

Biden's candidacy fell apartafter a disastrous debate performance last month, where he spoke haltinglyand failed to counter avigorous opponent, even as Trump at times spokewith little concern for verifiable facts. Having already long suffered doubts about his age and acuity, Biden could not overcome the public perception and party panic that he was no longer fit for the nation's highest office.

He conceded on Wednesday thatit was time to make way for "new voices, fresh voices yes, younger voices,"an about-face from his stance just weeks ago, when he told ABC Newsthat only the "Lord Almighty" could force him from the race.

A woman in a navy suit with a grey shirt stands with her hands together at a podium marked with the seal for the vice president of the United States.
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris speaks during an NCAA championship teams celebration on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, D.C., on Monday. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

It was a monumental moment for a lifetime politician who is known to takequitting deeply seriously.

In the hours before he gave up his first presidential bid in 1978, Biden paced his living room and looked for a way to save a campaign suffering death by plagiarism scandal.

"I've never been a quitter ... never quit anything in my life," Biden said, according to Richard BenCramer's Pulitzer-winning account of the 1988 campaign,What It Takes: The Way to the White House.

Decades later, as he accepted the vice-presidential nominationat the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Biden said, "Failure at some point in your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable."

WATCH | Canadian politicians salute Biden, look ahead to Harris:

Canadian politicians salute Biden, look ahead to Harris

25 days ago
Duration 1:57
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Minister of Industry Franois-Philippe Champagne are among the Canadian political leaders saluting U.S. President Joe Biden and looking forward to potentially working with Kamala Harris on maintaining close and co-operative ties between the two countries.

Praised Harrisas experienced and tough

In his 2017 memoir, which wove details of his vice-presidency with deliberations over another presidential run, Biden recounted how public life had taken on new meaning after his sonBeautold his father he was obligatedto take another run at the White House.

"Giving up on the presidential race would be like saying we were giving up on Beau," Biden wrote in Promise Me, Dad.

Beau Biden, who had brain cancer, died in May 2015. His father didn't mount a campaign the following year but won the presidency in 2020.

A man with white hair, a navy suit and a blue tie speaks from inside the White House.
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on July 24, 2024, about his decision to drop his Democratic reelection bid. (Evan Vucci/Reuters)

Biden announced on Sunday that he would give up his run for a second term and backHarris in aletter posted on X, formerly Twitter, as he recovered from COVID-19 at his beach house in RehobothBeach, Del. In the three days since, an invigorated Democratic Party has rallied around Harris, rushing to grantendorsements and raising tens of millions in campaign donations.

Biden praised Harris as "experienced, tough [and] capable" in his address on Wednesday. UCLA'sKernell said he likely didn't spendmore time praising the vice-president because she's already riding her own momentum.

"Had it not looked like that, he might have then had more of an incentive and desire to make a case for [Harris]. But I think that, as it was, she's doing fine on her own," she said.

President Joe Biden raises the hand of Vice President Kamala Harris after viewing the Independence Day fireworks display over the National Mall from the balcony of the White House, Thursday, July 4, 2024, in Washington.
Biden raises Harris's hand after viewing the Independence Day fireworks display over the National Mall from the balcony of the White House on July 4. In his speech Wednesday, Biden called his vice-president 'experienced, tough [and] capable.' (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

Biden has called Trump an existential threat to the nation's democracy. He did not mention the former president by name in his addressbut said American voters heading to the polls needed to choose between "moving forward or backward."

"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 Americalies in your hands," he said.

A brief speech to 'lay the ground for what's at stake'

Melissa Haussman, a political science professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, said Biden's address was also an appeal to voters.

"There have been a lot of accomplishments, but it wasa short, brief speech to really lay the ground for what's at stake," shesaid.

"Tonight was just signaling that yes, he's out, he wants the party unitedwhich, frankly, has been a bit of a heavy lift at times and to tell everybody to really get with the program."

U.S. President Joe Biden stands next to First Lady Jill Biden.
U.S. President Joe Biden stands next to First Lady Jill Biden as he thanks the camera crew after addressing the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday. (Evan Vucci/Reuters)

First Lady Jill Biden,daughter Ashley and several senior advisers sat off-camera along the curved Oval Office wallas Biden delivered his remarks.

Biden said he will spend his last six months in office focusing on his presidential duties. He said he would help strengthen NATO, stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from taking over Ukraine, pursue a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and push for Supreme Court reform. He is scheduled tomeetIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to discuss ceasefire negotiations.

Earlier Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said any question of Biden resigning his office which would allow Harris to run as an incumbent was "ridiculous."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that suggestions that Biden will leave office before his term is out are 'ridiculous.' (Susan Walsh/The Associated Press)

Jean-Pierre said Biden has "no regrets" about his decision to stay in the race as long as he did, or his decision to quit it over the weekend.

Biden is the first sitting American president to abandon a bid for a second term since Lyndon B. Johnson, who, facing mounting criticism for his stance on the Vietnam War, stepped away from the election in 1968. Although not unprecedented, Biden's choice was rare because it came with just 107 days left until election day.

With files from The Associated Press