President Joe Biden is set to deliver a significant speech on Wednesday regarding his unexpected decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. This announcement comes after weeks of the President adamantly stating his intention to continue his campaign.
The President, who has been recuperating at his residence in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, following a positive Covid-19 diagnosis, is scheduled to return to the White House on Tuesday. Despite his withdrawal from the race, Biden expressed his commitment to remaining actively involved in the administration's affairs during the remaining six months of his term.
In a phone call to his former campaign headquarters, Biden praised Vice President Kamala Harris and assured his continued engagement in both domestic and foreign policy matters. He emphasized his determination to accomplish as much as possible during the remainder of his presidency.
President Biden acknowledged that his decision to drop out of the race was unexpected but maintained that it was the right choice. He urged his former campaign team to support Vice President Harris, who is now poised to secure the party's nomination next month.
Wednesday's address from the Oval Office will mark a rare prime-time speech by the President. This will be the second time this month that Biden addresses the nation from this iconic setting, with the previous occasion being a response to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Biden's decision not to seek a second term makes him the first President in over a generation to opt out of reelection. His upcoming speech is expected to draw comparisons to President Lyndon B. Johnson's 1968 Oval Office address, where he announced his decision not to run for another term following discussions on US military operations in Vietnam.
