US President Joe Biden is set to deliver what could be his final Oval Office speech on Wednesday, where he will address the nation to explain his decision to drop out of November’s election. The 81-year-old Democrat will use the primetime televised event at 8:00 pm (0000 GMT Thursday) to assert that he will not be a lame duck president during his remaining months in office.
Biden announced on X (formerly Twitter) that his speech would cover “what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.” This address follows his withdrawal from the presidential race on Sunday after facing mounting pressure due to a poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump. Biden had promised to provide more details about his decision after his announcement, which he made while isolating with COVID-19 at his Delaware beach home.
The upcoming address will be Biden’s fourth Oval Office speech of his presidency and is expected to last eight to ten minutes. It comes just over a week after his previous address following an assassination attempt on Trump on July 13.
With Vice President Kamala Harris now the presumptive Democratic nominee and Trump campaigning for the Republican ticket, Biden faces the challenge of proving that he is still relevant and capable of leading the country. Republicans have argued that if Biden is not fit to run for re-election, he should not remain in office. However, Biden has maintained that he still has significant work to do, particularly regarding the economy and efforts to broker a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“I’m not going anywhere,” a hoarse Biden said during a call to Harris at a campaign meeting in Delaware on Monday. He emphasized his commitment to both his presidential duties and supporting Harris’s campaign. Biden, who is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday, expressed optimism about achieving a ceasefire in the Middle East conflict.
The situation has shifted quickly, with Netanyahu also scheduled to meet separately with Harris and Trump. Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he would meet with Netanyahu on Friday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
As Biden’s presidency nears its end, he returned to the White House from Delaware and met with his national security team for a briefing, stating on X that it was “great to be back.”
Biden’s decision to step aside has energized the Democratic Party, which had been grappling with concerns over his age. Harris, now the frontrunner, received enthusiastic support at a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Tuesday. This was her first rally since securing the delegates necessary for the Democratic nomination. Harris is expected to be officially nominated in early August during a virtual vote by Democratic delegates, ahead of the party’s convention in Chicago later that month.
Harris now faces the challenge of maintaining this momentum and converting it into electoral success in November. A recent poll showed Harris leading Trump slightly following Biden’s withdrawal, but she remains susceptible to criticism regarding her performance during her first two years in the White House.
As the nation prepares for Biden’s speech, the political landscape is rapidly evolving, with Harris stepping into the spotlight and the country looking ahead to a potentially historic election.
