WASHINGTON: In only an oblique reference to the inner-party tumult that forced him out of the 2024 presidential race, US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he deserved a second term in office given his record, but he was making way for Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee to keep the party and the nation united in the cause of democracy.
Speaking from behind the Resolute Desk in the White House Oval Office in what was virtually a farewell address, Biden said much as he merited another four years, “nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy.That includes personal ambition.”
“I revere this office, but I love my country more. 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 it’s more important than any title,” the US President said in a somber but stirring ten-minute address that was more wistful than resentful.
The danger to democracy came from Donald Trump and forces that have put him on track to an imperial, authoritarian presidency, he implicitly warned, without taking the former President’s name.
“The great thing about America is, here kings and dictators do not rule — the people do. History is in your hands. The power’s in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands,” Biden said, warning of the choice the country has between “moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.”
Biden also gracefully passed on the “torch to the new generation,” as he put it, by warmly commending his vice-president Kamala Harris whom he has already endorsed as his successor nominee for the Presidential race.
“I made my choice. I’ve made my views known. (Kamala Harris)… is experienced, she is tough, she is capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country,” Biden said.
On a rueful, melancholic note, Biden, who was forced out mainly on account of his age (81) and purported infirmity, said “there was 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.”
Kamala Harris is 59, and will continue to be the vice-president till January 20, 2025 (unless Biden resigns or is removed from office or passes on, in which case she takes over).
Biden himself, seeming to have recovered from Covid but still looking frail, is expected to support Kamala’s campaign, giving it the advantages and disadvantages that come with incumbency.
Speaking from behind the Resolute Desk in the White House Oval Office in what was virtually a farewell address, Biden said much as he merited another four years, “nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy.That includes personal ambition.”
“I revere this office, but I love my country more. 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 it’s more important than any title,” the US President said in a somber but stirring ten-minute address that was more wistful than resentful.
The danger to democracy came from Donald Trump and forces that have put him on track to an imperial, authoritarian presidency, he implicitly warned, without taking the former President’s name.
“The great thing about America is, here kings and dictators do not rule — the people do. History is in your hands. The power’s in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands,” Biden said, warning of the choice the country has between “moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.”
Biden also gracefully passed on the “torch to the new generation,” as he put it, by warmly commending his vice-president Kamala Harris whom he has already endorsed as his successor nominee for the Presidential race.
“I made my choice. I’ve made my views known. (Kamala Harris)… is experienced, she is tough, she is capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country,” Biden said.
On a rueful, melancholic note, Biden, who was forced out mainly on account of his age (81) and purported infirmity, said “there was 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.”
Kamala Harris is 59, and will continue to be the vice-president till January 20, 2025 (unless Biden resigns or is removed from office or passes on, in which case she takes over).
Biden himself, seeming to have recovered from Covid but still looking frail, is expected to support Kamala’s campaign, giving it the advantages and disadvantages that come with incumbency.
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