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

Originally Published: 24 JUL 24 06:00 ET
Updated: 24 JUL 24 20:18 ET
By Michael Williams, Kayla Tausche, MJ Lee and Betsy Klein, CNN

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.

“I revere this office. But I love my country more,” Biden said in a rare Oval Office speech that marked the beginning of the closing chapter of his presidency and half-century in public service.

“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.

Biden is no longer the presumptive Democratic nominee trying to convince the nation that he still has the stamina and faculties to take on former President Donald 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. His speech marked his first extensive remarks since his announcement Sunday that he was not running and will serve as the first time many Americans see him since he tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

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. Like all of Biden’s public speeches throughout his presidency, officials expect this address will be a work in progress up until delivery.

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.)

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. The former president will hold his first campaign rally since Biden dropped out in North Carolina on Wednesday. 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.

As Harris visited campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, Biden briefly called in, vowing “to get as much done as I possibly can” in his remaining time in office.

And while the party moves on from Biden’s candidacy — reassigning high-profile fundraisers from coast to coast to the Harris camp — it is also trying to cement his legacy.

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.

CNN’s Sam Fossum contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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