“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future, all deserved a second term. But nothing can stand in the way of saving our democracy, and that includes personal ambition. The best solution is to pass the torch to a new generation. That is the best way to unite our nation and our party”: in a solemn, historic 15-minute address to the nation, which will become part of his legacy, Joe Biden he explained from the Oval Office the reason for his withdrew from the race last Sunday, after mounting pressure in his party following his debacle in the televised debate with Donald Trump.
No medical reason, then, but the awareness that it was it is necessary to take a step back for the good of the country and the party. A spirit of sacrifice and a love of country that he compared to those of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Roosevelt. “My fellow Americans” (my fellow Americans), he began in an almost colloquial tone from the ‘resolute desk’, behind the family photos. “I revere my office, which has been the honor of my life, but I love the country more. Defending democracy is more important than any title“, he insisted, warning however that “the sacred task of perfecting our Union is not about me but about you, your families, your future. It is about ‘we the People’ (we the people, a quote from the preamble of the American constitution, ed.). Then he admitted that “the time has come for new voices, yes, younger ones”. Like that of his vice president Kamala Harris, whom he renewed his endorsement: “she is experienced, tough and capable”.
The commander in chief also disappointed those, from Trump to many Republicans, who are asking him to resign from the presidency, assuring that “I will finish the job”. “For the next six months, I will focus on my job as president. That means I will continue to reduce costs for hard-working families and grow our economy. I will continue to defend our personal freedoms and our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose.” And he will continue to work “for peace in Gaza” and “to maintain support for Ukraine.” First appointment today with Benjamin Netanyahu. Then he praised the strength of American democracy and recalled that everything is in the hands of the voters.
America, he said, is “stronger” than “any dictator or tyrant” but “the history, power and idea of America is in your hands.” “Now you have to choose between hope and hate, between unity and division,” he continued, indirectly evoking the tycoon’s incendiary rhetoric. Using the Oval Office as a backdrop for the fourth time, the 81-year-old Biden thus seals a 50-year career, becoming the first incumbent president not to seek reelection since 1968, when Lyndon Johnson, under fire for his management of the Vietnam War, suddenly withdrew from the campaign at the start of the primaries. Biden also joins James K. Polk, James Buchanan, Rutherford B. Hayes, Calvin Coolidge and Harry Truman in the list of presidents who have decided not to seek reelection.