United States President Joe Biden delivered a speech from the White House to explain why he bowed out of the race to win another term, with a little over three months to go until election day.
It was Biden’s first public address since his announcement via social media on Monday NZT that he had ended his bid for a second term and was endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Biden has kept a low profile since last week, when he came down with Covid-19 and went into isolation at his private residence in Delaware. He called into his campaign headquarters on Tuesday to urge staffers and volunteers to give “every bit of your heart and soul” to Harris.
During the four-minute phone call, Biden said that while he will not be on the ballot, he will still be “fully engaged” in the last six months of his presidency.
Biden returned to Washington DC on Wednesday after testing negative for Covid.
He will give his speech from the Oval Office today.
The President’s decision threw the contest into chaos but also offered Biden’s Democrats a chance to change the narrative in the fight against Republican nominee former President Donald Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House after leaving it in 2021.
In his speech, Biden is expected to tout his accomplishments over the past three-and-a-half years and make the case for a Harris presidency.
Harris, who would be the first female president in US history if elected, is already holding rallies, and her campaign team said that it has raised more than US$100 million ($168.6m) since Monday.
Trump is due to hold his first campaign rally since Harris emerged as his near-certain Democratic foe.
The former President will appear at an event in Charlotte, North Carolina, a state that will be an important battleground in the November 5 election.
The Trump campaign has insisted it is prepared for Harris’ candidacy, arguing she serves as a proxy for Biden on the economic and immigration policies that contributed to his sinking popularity with voters.
with Reuters
