Biden to explain decision to bow out of race in national address

Washington DC - President Joe Biden will deliver a speech from the White House on Wednesday to explain why he bowed out of the race with just over three months until election day.

President Joe Biden will deliver a speech from the White House on Wednesday to explain why he bowed out of the race with just over three months until election day.
President Joe Biden will deliver a speech from the White House on Wednesday to explain why he bowed out of the race with just over three months until election day.  © SAUL LOEB / AFP

It will be Biden's first address to the nation since his announcement via social media on Sunday that he had ended his bid for a second term and was handing the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden has kept a low profile since last week, when he came down with a Covid-19 infection and went into isolation at his private residence in the state of Delaware.

He called into his campaign headquarters on Monday to urge staffers and volunteers to give "every bit of your heart and soul" to Harris.

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During the four-minute phone call, Biden said that while he won't be on the ballot, he will still be "fully engaged" in the last six months of his presidency.

Biden returned to Washington on Tuesday night, after testing negative for Covid-19.

When will Biden deliver his address?

He will speak to the nation from the Oval Office at 8 PM.

The president's stunning decision threw the contest into chaos but also offered Biden's Democrats a chance to change the narrative in the fight against Republican nominee 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, make the case for a Harris presidency, and warn of the risks posed by a second Trump term.

Cover photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP

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