Transcript: Biden’s speech explaining why he withdrew from the 2024 presidential race

WASHINGTON — Transcript of President Joe Biden’s handle to the nation on July 24, 2024:

My fellow People, I’m chatting with you tonight from behind the Resolute Desk within the Oval Workplace. On this sacred house, I’m surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents. Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal phrases that information this nation. George Washington, who confirmed us presidents usually are not kings. Abraham Lincoln, who implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt, who impressed us to reject worry.

I revere this workplace, however I really like my nation extra.

It’s been the respect of my life to function your president. However within the protection of democracy, which is at stake, I feel it’s extra vital than any title.

I draw energy and I discover pleasure in working for the American individuals, however this sacred process of perfecting our union just isn’t about me. It’s about you, your households, your futures. It’s about we the individuals, and we will always remember that. And I by no means have.

I’ve made it clear that I consider America is at an inflection level, a kind of uncommon moments in historical past when the selections we make now will decide our destiny of our nation and the world for many years to come back.

America goes to have to decide on between shifting ahead or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We now have to resolve, will we nonetheless consider in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy? On this second, we will see these we disagree with not as enemies, however as fellow People. Can we try this? Does character in public life nonetheless matter?

I consider you understand the reply to those questions as a result of I do know you, the American individuals, and I do know this, we’re an important nation as a result of we’re a superb individuals.

If you elected me to this workplace, I promised to at all times degree with you, to inform you the reality. And the reality, the sacred reason behind this nation, is bigger than any certainly one of us, and people of us who cherish that trigger cherish it a lot, a reason behind American democracy itself should unite to guard it.

You already know, in current weeks it’s develop into clear to me that I wanted to unite my social gathering on this crucial endeavor. I consider my file as president, my management on this planet, my imaginative and prescient for America’s future all merited a second time period, however nothing, nothing can are available in the way in which of saving our democracy, and that features private ambition.

So I’ve determined one of the simplest ways ahead is to move the torch to a brand new era. That’s one of the simplest ways to unite our nation. I do know there’s a time and a spot for lengthy years of expertise in public life, however there’s additionally a time and a spot for brand spanking new voices, contemporary voices, sure, youthful voices, and that point and place is now.

Over the subsequent six months, I’ll be targeted on doing my job as president. Meaning I’ll proceed to decrease prices for hard-working households, develop our financial system. I’ll preserve defending our private freedoms and our civil rights, from the correct to vote to the correct to decide on. I’ll preserve calling out hate and extremism, make it clear there isn’t any place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, interval. I’m going to maintain talking out to guard our youngsters from gun violence, our planet from local weather disaster, is the existential menace.

And I’ll preserve preventing for my for my most cancers moonshot, so we will finish most cancers as we all know it as a result of we will do it. And I’m going to name for Supreme Courtroom reform as a result of that is crucial to our democracy, Supreme Courtroom reform. You already know, I’ll preserve working to make sure America stays robust and safe and the chief of the free world.

I’m the primary president on this century to report back to the American those that the USA just isn’t at conflict wherever on this planet. We’ll preserve rallying a coalition of proud nations to cease Putin from taking up Ukraine and doing extra injury. We’ll preserve NATO stronger, and I’ll make it extra highly effective and extra united than at any time in all of our historical past. I’ll preserve doing the identical for allies within the Pacific.

You already know, once I got here to workplace, the standard knowledge was that China would inevitably surpass the USA. That’s not the case anymore. And I’m going to maintain working to finish the conflict in Gaza, deliver dwelling all of the hostages and convey peace and safety to the Center East and finish this conflict.

We’re additionally working across the clock to deliver dwelling People being unjustly detained all all over the world. You already know, we’ve come up to now since my inauguration. On that day, I advised you as I stood in that winter — we stood in a winter of peril and a winter of prospects, peril and prospects. We have been within the grip of the worst pandemic within the century, the worst financial disaster for the reason that Nice Despair, the worst assault on our democracy for the reason that Civil Conflict, however we got here collectively as People, and we received by way of it. We emerged stronger, extra affluent and safer.

Right now, we have now the strongest financial system on this planet, creating almost 16 million new jobs — a file. Wages are up, inflation continues to come back down, the racial wealth hole is the bottom it’s been in 20 years. We’re actually rebuilding our complete nation, city, suburban, rural and tribal communities. Manufacturing has come again to America.

We’re main the world once more in chips and science and innovation. We lastly beat Massive Pharma in spite of everything these years, to decrease the price of pharmaceuticals for seniors, and I’m going to maintain preventing to verify we decrease the associated fee for everybody, not simply seniors.

Extra individuals have well being care right this moment in America than ever earlier than. And I signed probably the most vital legal guidelines serving to hundreds of thousands of veterans and their households who have been uncovered to poisonous supplies. You already know, probably the most vital local weather legislation ever, ever within the historical past of the world, the primary main gun security legislation in 30 years. And right this moment, violent crime price is at a 50-year low.

We’re additionally securing our border. Border crossings are decrease right this moment than when the earlier administration left workplace. And I’ve stored my dedication to nominate the primary Black girl to the Supreme Courtroom of the USA of America. I additionally stored my dedication to have an administration that appears like America and be a president for all People.

That’s what I’ve achieved. I ran for president 4 years in the past as a result of I believed, and nonetheless do, that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we’re was at stake and that’s nonetheless the case. America is an concept, an concept stronger than any military, larger than any ocean, extra highly effective than any dictator or tyrant.

It’s probably the most highly effective concept within the historical past of the world. That concept is that we maintain these truths to be self-evident. We’re all created equal, endowed by our creator with sure inalienable rights, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. We’ve by no means absolutely lived as much as it, to this sacred concept, however we’ve by no means walked away from it both and I don’t consider the American individuals will stroll away from it now.

In only a few months, the American individuals will select the course of America’s future. I made my selection. I made my views recognized. I wish to thank our nice Vice President Kamala Harris. She’s skilled, she’s robust, she’s succesful. She’s been an unimaginable associate to me and a frontrunner for our nation. Now the selection is as much as you, the American individuals.

If you make that selection, keep in mind the phrases of Benjamin Franklin. It’s hanging on my wall right here within the Oval Workplace, alongside the bust of Dr. King and Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez. When Ben Franklin was requested as he emerged from the conference happening, whether or not the founders have given America a monarchy or republic, Franklin’s response was “a republic, if you happen to can preserve it.” A republic if you happen to can preserve it. Whether or not we preserve our republic is now in your fingers.

My fellow People, it’s been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years. Nowhere else on earth might a child with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, sooner or later sit behind the Resolute Desk within the Oval Workplace as President of the USA, however right here I’m. That’s what’s so particular about America.

We’re a nation of promise and prospects, of dreamers and doers, of strange People doing extraordinary issues. I’ve given my coronary heart and my soul to our nation, like so many others. I’ve been blessed 1,000,000 instances in return with the love and help of the American individuals. I hope you will have some concept how grateful I’m to all of you.

The beauty of America is right here kings and dictators don’t rule, the individuals do. Historical past is in your fingers. The facility is in your fingers. The thought of America lies in your fingers. We simply should preserve religion, preserve the religion and keep in mind who we’re. We’re the USA of America and there’s merely nothing, nothing past our capability after we do it collectively.

So let’s act collectively, protect our democracy. God bless you all and should God shield our troops. Thanks.