Insisting that “the defence of democracy is more important than any title,” U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday will explain in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for re-election and to throw his support behind Vice-President Kamala Harris.
The address — scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and which CBC News will stream on this page — will offer the public their first chance to hear directly from Biden his rationale for dropping out of the 2024 U.S. presidential race, after weeks of insisting he believed himself to be the best candidate to take on Republican Donald Trump. Biden has called the former president an existential threat to the nation’s democracy. It will also give Biden a chance to try to shape how history views his one and only term in office.
“The defence of democracy is more important than any title,” Biden will say, according to excerpts released by the White House. “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.'”
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.
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.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Minister of Industry François-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 cooperative ties between the two countries.
On Sunday afternoon while isolating at his Rehoboth Beach, Del., 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.”
Biden’s address is being carried by the major television news networks. He is set to pledge to remain focused on being president until his term expires at noon on Jan. 20, 2025.
“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.”
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.”
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.