Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool
President Joe Biden delivered his address to the nation from the Oval Office this evening. The speech was supposed to explain why he decided to exit the 2024 race. Instead, as Fox News's Dana Perino noted, we got a political speech, a mini-State of the Union. It came off as resentful, outlining his real and imagined accomplishments.
The speech was also labored and slurred, indicating that his age had caught up to him. It started with the same platitudinous introductions regarding how it’s about “we the people” and how it’s a choice between moving forward, not backward, unity over division, and hope versus hate. Biden said we’re at an inflection point where honesty, decency, and respect are on the ballot—rich coming from a man who hails from a family of degenerates. The president made the case for his legacy and said it was worthy of a second term.
“We’re a great nation because we’re a great people,” Biden said between half-thoughts and mumbles. But he added that it was time to pass the torch to the next generation to unite the party, which he fractured with this shambolic attempt at a second term. Biden remains committed to serving the rest of his term, calling out extremism and defending civil rights.
The president will be committed to attacking the climate crisis, getting work done on his “cancer moon shot,” gun control, and pushing through Supreme Court reform.
Biden also said he’ll be working to end the war in Gaza and strengthen NATO to be the strongest it’s ever been. The garbled address was also couched in a bed of lies, like how inflation is coming down, wages are up, and the United States isn’t fighting any wars. The president is committed to this illusion that we’re leading the world again and that border crossings are lower today. More people have access to health care, but if Biden read the news, he’d know that roughly half the nation still can’t afford it.
What was glaring was how little of this speech was about Vice President Kamala Harris, if the intention was to set her up to take the Democratic mantle. He did call her an experienced, tough, and capable leader. He warned that the people, not kings or dictators, decide our future. Biden is still visibly angry that he’s been pushed out, which was this address's predominant theme.
Finally, Biden said that the idea of America lies in our hands.
