Biden's farewell: Leaving to Kamala Harris the race he wanted to run
After nearly four years as the most powerful person in the world, four weeks after a disastrous debate, and four days after announcing he wouldn't seek another term in the White House, President Joe Biden on Wednesday defended his record and fought to remain relevant.
He outlined some big ambitions for his final months in office − ambitions that history and common sense say will be hard to achieve.I believe that my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future, all merited a second term," the 46th president said in an 11-minute Oval Office address to the nation. He acknowledged that voters didn't seem to agree, though, that he was on a path to lose in November to an opponent he says would endanger democracy itself. "Nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition
His words were poignant, his manner somber. But the low timbre of his voice and his occasional stumble over the words he was reading from a teleprompter were reminders of the concerns about his age that had undermined his bid for a second term.
“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation," Biden, 81, said in an echo of John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. He called it "a time for new voices, for fresh voices, yes, for younger voices
