Pres. Biden dropping out to 'save democracy;' will fight for abortion, Supreme Court reform
President Joe Biden defended his decision to drop out of the presidential race as a necessary step to ensure “the defense of democracy” as he vowed to make abortion and U.S. Supreme Court reform top priorities for the remainder of his term.
Biden delivered a primetime address from the Oval Office Wednesday, three days after he announced via a social media post that he was dropping his reelection bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democrat nominee for President of the United States.
"Nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition," he said.
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Biden overwhelmingly won the popular vote in the Democrat presidential primaries this year and, therefore, secured the majority of delegates to the Democratic National Convention, who are now free to support someone else because he has dropped out. Based on a survey of DNC delegates conducted by The Associated Press, Harris has secured enough support to become the presumptive Democrat nominee.
The president's address marks the first time he's spoken to the nation since his decision. “I revere this office, but I love my country more,” he said. “It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president, but in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think is more important than any title.”
“I draw strength and I find joy in working for the American people,” he added. “But this sacred task of perfecting our union, it’s not about me. It’s about you, your families, your futures. It’s about we the people. We can never forget that, and I never have.”
The president reiterated his belief that “America is at an inflection point,” which he described as “one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine [the] fate of our nation and the world for decades to come.” He insisted that “America’s going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.”
“We have to decide, do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy,” he asserted. “Does character in public life still matter?”
Biden insisted that those who care about “the cause of American democracy itself” must “unite to protect it.”
Biden added: “In recent weeks, it’s become clear to me that I needed to unite my party in this critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merited a second term. But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition.”
Biden’s comments about party unity refer to the fact that following his performance in last month’s presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, many in his own party began calling for him to drop out of the race because of concerns that the questions about his age and ability to serve as president, exacerbated by the debate performance, would cause him to lose the 2024 presidential election to Trump.
“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our nation,” he said. “There is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life, but there’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now.”
Biden vowed that “over the next six months, I’ll be focused on doing my job as president.” He specifically highlighted his intentions to “lower costs for hardworking families, grow our economy,” and “defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights from the right to vote to the right to choose,” referring to abortion.
“I’ll keep calling out hate and extremism, making clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period,” he promised. He also listed gun control, climate change, curing cancer and Supreme Court reform as top priorities of the remaining six months of his administration. He did not get into specifics on what he had in mind for Supreme Court reform, only characterizing the idea as “critical to our democracy.”
Biden reflected on his time in office, expressing gratitude that “we’ve come so far since my inauguration” and “we came together as Americans.” He claimed that the U.S. became “stronger, more prosperous and more secure” under his leadership.
“I ran for president four years ago because I believed and still do that the soul of America was at stake, the very nature of who we are was at stake, and that’s still the case,” he proclaimed. “America is an idea, an idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant.”
Biden concluded his speech by praising Harris as an “incredible partner to me” and describing her as “experienced,” “tough” and “capable.”
He urged the American people to take the advice of Benjamin Franklin into consideration when voting in the 2024 presidential election, recalling how he emerged from the Constitutional Convention announcing that the newly formed nation would become “a Republic, if you can keep it.”
“Whether we keep our Republic is now in your hands,” he declared. “My fellow Americans, it’s been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years. Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office as president of the United States, but here I am.”
Biden assured the American people he has “given my heart and my soul to our nation,” adding, “I hope you have some idea how grateful I am to all of you. ... The idea of America lies in your hands.”
While Biden did not explicitly mention Trump, his rhetoric reflected the line of attack that has become commonplace when discussing him either directly or indirectly. Although he praised Harris, he did not tell people directly to vote for her.
Biden also did not directly address the more than 14 million Democrat primary voters who voted to make him the Democrat nominee. Concerns have emerged in the past few days that the push by party leaders and delegates to make Harris the nominee without letting Democrat voters weigh in amounts to effectively ignoring the will of the people, as reflected in the primary results that demonstrated overwhelming support for Biden.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
