'A Time For Younger Voices': In Oval Office Address, Biden Says He Quit Presidential Race To Unite His Party

Underlining the importance of unity in the country, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday in an Oval Office address said he decided to drop his reelection bid and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris to promote younger voices in the Democratic party.

“There is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices,” he said, adding that he dropped out of the White House race to “unite my party.” In what could be his last speech to the nation from the Oval Office, the 81-year-old said that there is a place for fresh voices in the country.

‘Younger voices’

“There is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices,” Biden said, adding that he dropped out of the White House race to “unite my party.” The address offered the public their first chance to hear directly from Biden his rationale for dropping out of 2024 after weeks of insisting he believed himself to be the best candidate to take on former President Donald Trump.

Biden invoked previous presidents Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as he described his love for the office that he will leave in six months, capping a half century in public office. “I revere this office,” Biden said. “But I love my country more.”

Biden called the United States the “most powerful idea” in world history Wednesday, in a televised speech days after announcing he would drop out from the White House race. “America’s an idea, an idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant,” he said, warning that democracy is at stake in the November election.

‘She’s tough, she’s capable’

He lauded Kamala Harris — presumptive nominee for the Democratic presidential ticket — as “tough” and “capable.” “She’s 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 said days after bowing out of the election race and endorsing her.

Biden’s candidacy faced a crisis of confidence from Democrats after his abysmal debate against Trump nearly a month ago, where he spoke haltingly, appeared ashen and failed to rebut his predecessor’s attacks. It sparked a mutiny within his party over not just whether he was capable of beating Trump in November, but also whether at 81, he was still fit for the high-pressure job.

‘Dictator or tyrant’

In an all-important address on Wednesday, Biden also called the United States the “most powerful idea” in world history. “America’s an idea, an idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant,” he said, warning that democracy is at stake in the November election.

Biden tried to outlast the skepticism and quell the concerns with interviews and tepid rallies, but the pressure to step aside only mounted from the party’s political elites and from ordinary voters. On Sunday afternoon while isolating at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home with COVID-19, Biden finally bowed in a letter posted to his account on X announcing his decision to leave the race, followed up later by an endorsement of Harris.

“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation,” Biden was set to say Wednesday. “That is the best way to unite our nation.” Before the US President’s address, Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that any question of Biden resigning his office — which would allow Harris to run as an incumbent — was “ridiculous.” She 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.

(With agency inputs)