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‘The best way forward is to pass the baton to a new generation’: Biden

  • July 25, 2024
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President Joe Biden said he is dropping out of the race because of concerns about the country’s future, in his first public comments since abruptly dropping out of

‘The best way forward is to pass the baton to a new generation’: Biden

President Joe Biden said he is dropping out of the race because of concerns about the country’s future, in his first public comments since abruptly dropping out of the 2024 election campaign.

In his Oval Office speech, Biden referenced previous presidents Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in describing his love for the office he will leave in six months, capping a half-century of public service.

“I respect this office,” Biden said. “But I love my country more.”

Biden, 81, rejected years of pressure from Democrats to quit the party after his disastrous debate performance on June 27. He spent days soul-searching and agonizing over internal polls that showed he could lose to Trump in November and drag his fellow Democrats down with him before stepping down.

“I decided that the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our nation,” Biden said.

In his 11-minute speech, Biden addressed the danger he believes Americans will face if Trump wins the election on November 5.

He said he was dropping out of the race to help heal the wounds of the Democratic Party and unite Democrats to win.

“Nothing can stand in the way of saving our democracy. “That includes personal ambition.”

It was Biden’s first major public appearance since he bowed to pressure from fellow Democrats and announced via social media on Sunday that he would not seek re-election on Nov. 5.

“The good thing about the United States is that there are no kings or dictators. The people do it. History is in your hands. Power is in your hands. The idea of ​​America is in your hands,” Biden added.

Several members of Biden’s family and top advisers were in the Oval Office. Applause erupted as Biden finished his speech.

Biden is the first sitting president not to seek re-election since 1968, when Lyndon Johnson, who had been criticized for his handling of the Vietnam War, abruptly dropped out of the campaign on March 31.

The current US president immediately faced calls to resign following his eventful debate performance against Trump raised troubling doubts about his mental acuity. But since he resigned, Democrats have rallied around him. paying tribute to his character and his track record as president.

“Nowhere else on Earth could a boy with a stutter, from humble beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, sit behind a desk in the Oval Office for even one day as president of the United States,” Biden said. “But here I am.”

Biden added that he would focus on his job as president in his remaining six months in office. He pledged to help make NATO stronger and more united, stop Russian President Vladimir Putin from taking over Ukraine, work on a cease-fire in Gaza and push for Supreme Court reform. He will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to discuss efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza.

Biden’s political career began when he was elected as a senator in 1972 at the age of 29, becoming the sixth-youngest U.S. senator. He will end his term in the White House on January 20, 2025, as the oldest American president, when he will be 82.

Reuters.

Source: Aristegui Noticias

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