MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Biden admits it's time to pass on the torch

Democracy is at stake, Biden underlined

In his first appearance since quitting his reelection bid, US President Joseph Biden Wednesday said during a speech from the Oval Office that his decision had been motivated to protect democracy, to unite the nation against the threat former President Donald Trump represents. However, he never mentioned him by name.

“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, [and] my vision for America’s future all merit a second term. But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,” Biden argued. “So I decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. It’s the best way to unite our nation,” he said about his political maneuver announced last Sunday. He never admitted to his visible health problems which called for his stepping down after a debate fiasco and other lapses that drew reactions from Democratic allies, billionaire donors, and major media outlets.

After endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the new standard-bearer, Biden insisted that: “I revere this office. But I love my country more. It’s the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in defense of democracy, which is at stake and is more important than any other title, I draw strength and find joy in working for the American people.”

“The great thing about America is here kings and dictators do not rule, the people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands,” Biden stressed.

Harris reportedly picked up enough delegates to lock up the nomination at the party’s convention next month in Chicago.

“In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. … I believe I know the answers to these questions because I know you, the American people,” he went on as he elaborated on his five decades in public office.

Trump replied on social media from his private jet that Biden's speech had been “barely understandable and sooo bad.” He also called Biden an “embarrassment.”

After a Reuters/Ipsos poll found Harris two points ahead of Trump, the question now is who will be her running mate.

At the same time, the Republican camp wants Biden to resign altogether because, if he is unfit to run for reelection, he cannot be fit to discharge the duties of the president, much more so after becoming a “lame duck.” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that any the President resigning his office before the election was “ridiculous” and insisted Biden’s decision had nothing to do with his health.

Nevertheless, Biden promised that “Over the next six months, I will be focused on doing my job as president,” Biden said. “That means I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families and grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights -- from the right to vote -- to the right to choose. I'll keep calling out hate and extremism and make it clear that there is no place, no place in America for political violence.” He also vowed to protect kids from gun violence, protect the planet from adverse climate change, and reform the Supreme Court.

“I am the first president in this century to report the United States is not at war anywhere in the world,” he also noted. “I'm going to keep working to end the war in Gaza and bring home the hostages.”

The 81-year-old Biden had been self-isolating for a week at his Delaware residence after testing positive for Covid-19 in Las Vegas.