Biden on dropping out of 2024 race: 'I revere this office, but I love my country more'
Biden addresses nation after dropping out
President Joe Biden addressed the country after he dropped out of the 2024 race. In his address, he stated that he will focus on doing his job as president. He added that it has been the privilege of his life to ‘service the American people for over 50 years.’
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening to talk about his decision to drop out of the 2024 election race.
The address offered the public their first chance to hear directly from Biden his rationale after weeks of insisting he believed himself to be the best candidate to take on former President Donald Trump, whom he has called an existential threat to the nation's democracy. It also gave Biden a chance to try to shape how history views his one and only term in office.
"The defense of democracy is more important than any title," Biden said. "I draw strength, and find joy, in working FOR the American people. But this sacred task of perfecting our Union is not about me. It’s about you. Your families. Your futures. It’s about ‘We the People.’
"Nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy," Biden said. "And that includes personal ambition."
US President Joe Biden speaks during an address to the nation about his decision to not seek reelection, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2024. (Credit: EVAN VUCCI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
It was a moment for the history books — a U.S. president reflecting before the nation on why he was taking the rare step of voluntarily handing off power. It hasn’t been done since 1968, when Lyndon Johnson announced he would not seek reelection in the heat of the Vietnam War.
"I revere this office," Biden said. "But I love my country more."
The president sought to use the address to outline the stakes in the election, which both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have framed as a choice between freedom and chaos, but he tried to steer clear of overt campaigning from his official office.
"The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule," Biden said. "The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America — lies in your hands."
READ MORE: Watch live: Biden drops out of 2024 presidential race
Biden announces withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race
US President Joe Biden arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on July 23, 2024. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Biden announced in a letter on social media on July 21 that he would be withdrawing from the race and would focus on his presidential duties for the remainder of his term.
He made the decision while he was isolated due to his COVID-19 diagnosis.
The first lady was with him as he talked it through with a small circle of people who have been with him for decades.
Biden endorses Kamala Harris
Who will Kamala Harris choose as her running mate?
Questions are swirling over who Kamala Harris could choose as her running mate in the 2024 presidential race. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who recently endorsed Harris, has been mentioned as a potential pick. LiveNOW from FOX's Andrew Craft catches up with Fox Multimedia Reporter Kailey Schuyler as she reports from Covington, KY.
Biden endorsed Harris as the nominee. Biden's endorsement of Harris makes her the frontrunner for the nomination, but that doesn't mean she can swap in for him at the top of the ticket by default.
RELATED: Majority of Democrats think Kamala Harris would make a good president: poll
In a recent ABC News-Washington Post poll, Harris performed favorably in a theoretical matchup with Donald Trump, with 49% supporting Harris compared to 46% backing Trump.
RELATED: Joe Biden drops out: A timeline of his decision to withdraw
Harris hits the campaign trail
The Harris campaign and national Democratic committees combined to raise more than $100 million — from 1.1 million donors — between Sunday afternoon and Monday evening, the campaign said Tuesday.
Harris was campaigning in the presidential battleground of Wisconsin, also on Tuesday. A day earlier, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler said the state party had raised $300,000 in the past week, including $140,000 since Biden dropped out of the race.
"The level of unity and energy is through the roof," Wikler said. "There is a surge of focus, of enthusiasm, a flowering of the kind of unity we’re going to need to beat Donald Trump."
Harris still faces some headwinds in a campaign against Trump.
Shortly before Biden dropped out, a poll by AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that while about 6 in 10 Democrats believed Harris would do a good job as a president, only about 3 in 10 adults overall said she would do well. The poll showed that about half of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of Harris, which was a little better than for Biden and Trump.
Who else could replace Biden?
Before the president announced his decision, Democrats floated other names as potential presidential contenders.
In addition to Harris, others that endorsed Biden in 2024 while having their own presidential aspirations for future election cycles include California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker and California Rep. Ro Khanna.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.