Joe Biden defends decision to ‘pass the baton to a new generation’

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“The best way to move forward is to pass the baton to a new generation,” U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to say in his first public comments since announcing he would not seek a second term in office.

“Defending our democracy is more important than any title, and I find strength and joy in serving the American people,” Biden is expected to say in an address to the nation on Wednesday night, according to prepared remarks released by the White House.

“But this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me,” the president adds. “It’s about you.”

The public address from the Oval Office will be unusual with just over 100 days until the November presidential election and will be Biden’s first public appearance since announcing over the weekend that he was suspending his reelection campaign and instead recommending Vice President Kamala Harris to run.

Biden has not made any public appearances since being diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, where he has been recuperating at his Delaware resort. He returned to the White House on Tuesday but did not hold any public events before the speech.

The president is likely to make clear that he is not seeking reelection but intends to serve out the remainder of his term.

“For the next six months, I will be focused on the work of your presidency,” Biden said, “and that means I will continue to ease the burden on hardworking families and grow our economy. And I will continue to protect our individual liberties and civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose.”

“The great thing about America is that it’s not run by kings or dictators, it’s run by the people,” he adds. “History is in your hands. Power is in your hands. The ideals of America are in your hands.”

Biden will face several foreign policy challenges in his final months in office.

Biden is scheduled to hold a key meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday. The Biden administration is pushing hard to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal, which would be a major foreign policy achievement that would highlight the president’s legacy.

Biden’s decision not to run for reelection marks the beginning of the end of a distinguished Washington career that spanned more than half a century. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, he spent more than three decades in the Senate before serving two terms as vice president under Barack Obama, from 2009 to 2017.

With Biden dropping out of the presidential race, Harris will face off at the polls against Donald Trump in a race that national polls predict is going to be close, with Trump holding a slight lead with just over three months to go until Election Day.

Additional reporting by Felicia Schwartz and Steph Chavez Washington