'History in your hands': Joe Biden says 'time for younger voices' as he urges Americans to unite to save US democracy
In a speech marking both the conclusion of his re-election campaign and the beginning of the end of his more than five decades in politics, Joe Biden warned America that the fight for democracy was far from finished.
While he never said Donald Trump’s name aloud, his speech focusing on the accomplishments of his term and vows to keep fighting for his priorities was heavy on references to what he believes is the existential threat the Republican candidate poses to the country’s values.
“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,” Biden said, and noted that when he took office, the country was recovering not just from the economic and health crisis caused by Covid-19, but also, “the worst attack on our democracy since the civil war”.
He then described America as at a turning point:
I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come.
America is 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? In this moment, we can see those we disagree with, not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. Can we do that? Does character in public life still matter?
In a tacit acknowledgment that he is not the man to win this election – something that polls warned was possible for months, and which became much clearer after his disastrous performance in the first debate with Trump – Biden said: “There is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now.”
“History is in your hands,” Biden told the country, in the final minute of what may be his last address from the Oval Office.
Washington Post opinion writer Jen Rubin compares Biden to Liz Cheney, once the third-highest ranking Republican in the House, who lost her seat after staunchly opposing Trump:
Two people in recent times have sacrificed a life in politics for the betterment of the country and the preservation of democracy: @POTUS and @Liz_Cheney . They are noble, honorable people. We need children and adults to emulate them.
— Jen "Denial Dooms Democracy " Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) July 25, 2024
The ex-wife of Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, has defended the vice president against sexist criticism of her lack of biological children; when she married Emhoff in 2014, Harris became stepmother to his two children.
In a statement quoted by CNN, Kerstin Emhoff said she was “grateful” to have Harris in her blended family:
These are baseless attacks. For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and [me].
She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.
Video of Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance calling Harris, and others, “a bunch of childless cat ladies” in 2021, has recently resurfaced, drawing widespread criticism of its own.
We are effectively run in this country, via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made, and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too. And it’s just a basic fact if you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC – the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. And how does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it.
1. Biden delivered a short, poignant speech focused on the weight of the office. “In this sacred space, I’m surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents,” he said in the beginning of his speech. “Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington showed us presidents are not kings.”
2. He passed the torch to Kamala Harris and expressed his support. “This sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me, it’s about you,” Biden said, and then turned the focus to his vice-president, who is now the most likely Democratic nominee. Biden commended Harris for her work, calling her an “experienced”, “tough” and “capable” candidate.
3. Biden reminded people of his legacy and his plans to call for supreme court reform. Biden said that over the next six months, he will focus on “lowering costs”, growing the economy, and fighting against gun violence and the climate crisis. He also said that he will call for a supreme court reform, calling it “critical to our democracy”.
Bernie Sanders doing some Trump fact checking here:
Tonight Trump claimed that Harris is “more liberal than Bernie Sanders.” Bernie Sanders disagrees. “Ummm, probably not. It’s just possible that for the 83,000 time that Trump is lying. No, I don’t think that is the case.” pic.twitter.com/j74UfKp7Dn
Before Biden’s announcement on Sunday, more than 30 Democratic members of Congress had called on the president to drop out of the race following his disastrous debate performance last month. In the days leading up to the announcement, polls showed an increasing number of Democrats believed Biden should step aside as Donald Trump’s narrow lead in the race began to grow.
Early surveys taken since Sunday suggest a neck-and-neck race between Trump and Harris, but the vice-president already appears to be in a slightly stronger position than Biden was. Even as polls indicate a tight race, Biden expressed confidence that Americans would choose to preserve democracy this November. Quoting the Declaration of Independence and founding father Benjamin Franklin, Biden made the time-honored argument for American exceptionalism.
“America is an idea, an idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant. It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world,” Biden said. “That idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident. We’re all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. We’ve never fully lived up to it, to this sacred idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either, and I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.”
It was a message that echoed Biden’s campaign slogan in 2020, which framed the election against Trump as a “battle for the soul of the nation”. That battle remains ongoing, Biden said, and it will now be up to the American people to decide how it will end.
Joe Biden addressed the nation Wednesday to explain his historic decision to withdraw from the presidential race, delivering a reflective and hopeful message about the need to begin a new chapter in America’s story.
“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 said in the Oval Office.
“So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation. You know, there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life. There’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices – yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now.”
The speech came three days after Biden stunned the country with the announcement he would abandon his presidential campaign less than four months before election day. As he contemplated the legacy of his five decades in public life, Biden pledged to keep working to better Americans’ lives as he concludes his first – and now only – term as president. Some Republican lawmakers have suggested Biden should resign rather than finish out his term, but the president firmly rejected those calls on Wednesday.
More now on the House approving, in a rare unanimous vote, to pass legislation to form a task force to investigate the security failures surrounding the Trump assassination attempt on 13 June.
The legislation passed by a vote of 416-0.
“Protecting the safety and security of our nation’s leaders is a responsibility that transcends party lines,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
The task force will be composed of 13 members and is expected to include seven Republicans and six Democrats. It will be tasked with determining what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination and will make recommendations to prevent future security lapses. It will issue a final report before 13 December and has the authority to issue subpoenas.
House committees have already held three hearings focusing on the shooting. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday, one day after she appeared before a congressional committee and was berated for hours by both Democrats and Republicans for the security failures. She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades, but she angered lawmakers by failing to answer specific questions about the investigation.
Democrats also voiced support for the task force, saying what happened in Butler was a despicable attack that never should have happened.
“We need to know what happened. We need to get to the truth. We need to prevent this from ever, ever happening again,” said Representative Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
Pelosi: Biden is on right side of history and future
Nancy Pelosi, the speaker emerita, says that Biden has shown he is on the right side of both history and the future. In a statement released after Biden’s Oval Office address, she called him “one of America’s most consequential presidents”:
Tonight, we saw President Joe Biden – one of America’s most consequential presidents – show that he is not only on the right side of history, but on the right side of the future.
America has been blessed by the wisdom and magnificent leadership of President Joe Biden as he has protected our democracy and led our nation with progress, hope and unity. President Biden has truly made a tangible difference in the lives of the American people.
With love and gratitude, I salute President Biden for always believing in the possibilities of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfilment.”
Schumer thanks Biden for 'great act of patriotism'
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer has responded to Biden’s address, thanking him and saying his decision to withdraw “is a great act of patriotism”:
Thank you, President Biden.
Your decision is a great act of patriotism for this country you love so much.
America is stronger and more prosperous because of your leadership.
“At least five quality polls out this week have gauged Vance’s image, and each shows that more people dislike him than like him. They show he is between two and nine points underwater,” the Washington Post writes, in a piece asking whether the Republicans are about to have buyer’s remorse.
The risks were clear from the outset, the Post writes: “Vance didn’t pack the same base-expanding potential as other candidates (such as Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Marco Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum). And Vance’s only campaign — for Senate in 2022 — was nothing to write home about. Despite winning, he polled as unpopular and performed significantly worse than any other statewide Ohio GOP candidate.”
Vice-presidential picks are usually more popular than the presidential candidates who pick them, the article notes.
JD Vance polls show he is least-liked pick for Veep since 1980
Hello, this is Helen Sullivan taking over the Guardian’s live US elections coverage. I’ll be with you for the next while.
CNN polling expert says that recent polling has JD Vance as the least-liked pick for VP candidate since 1980. He is the first to have a net negative favourable rating – the polling average shows Vance on -6 points:
JD Vance is making history as the least liked VP nominee (non-incumbent) since 1980 following his/her party's convention. He's the first to have a net negative favorable rating.
Not surprising given how weak he ran in Ohio in 2022. Far worse than the average Ohio Republican. pic.twitter.com/hlZziePkKe
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) July 24, 2024
What we learned from Joe Biden's address to the nation
In a rare speech from the White House’s Oval Office, Joe Biden elaborated further on the reasons why he ended his campaign to serve another four years as president. Age was at the center of his remarks, with the president saying: “I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.” So, too was the threat to the country’s democracy he believes Donald Trump poses – though he never used the former president’s name. “I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come,” the president added. He repeated his endorsement of Kamala Harris, calling her “tough” and “capable”, and vowed to pursue his own policies during his remaining time in office, including reforming the conservative-dominated supreme court.
Here’s what else happened this evening:
Biden’s family members, including first lady Jill Biden and his son Hunter Biden, were by his side in the Oval Office as he delivered a speech that marked the beginning of the end of his long career in politics.
Photographers in the Oval Office captured the president in the final moments before he delivered his pivotal remarks, and as he greeted his family afterwards.
Trump rallied in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he spent much time insulting Harris.
The Houseunanimously approved creating a taskforce to investigate the assassination attempt against Trump.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahutold Congress that Israel is aiming for “total victory” in Gaza. Six protesters were arrested during his speech in the Capitol, while clashes broke out between police and demonstrators outside.
House unanimously approves establishing panel to investigate Trump assassination attempt
The House has unanimously voted to create a bipartisan taskforce to investigate the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
The panel will be composed of seven Republicans and six Democrats, and will have the power to issue subpoenas. It is tasked with understanding the circumstances of the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, holding to account agencies involved in securing the event and ensuring no such attack happens again.
“Protecting the safety and security of our nation’s leaders is a responsibility that transcends party lines. Today, the House approved the establishment of a bipartisan task force to thoroughly investigate the attempted assassination of Donald Trump,” Republican speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.
“The task force’s mission is clear: to determine what led to the inexcusable security failures, ensure accountability and make certain no such lapses ever happen again.”
Photographers in the Oval Office captured images of Joe Biden’s interactions with his family and his final moments before delivering the consequential remarks:
Biden with the first lady, Jill Biden. Photograph: Evan Vucci/EPA
The president hugs his son, Hunter Biden, as the first lady looks on. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AFP/Getty Images
Joe Biden pauses before beginning his speech. Photograph: Evan Vucci/Reuters
