WASHINGTON – Transcript of President Joe Biden’s Address to the Nation on July 24, 2024:
My fellow Americans, I speak to you tonight from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. In this sacred space, I am surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents. Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington, who showed us that presidents are not kings. Abraham Lincoln, who implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt, who inspired us to reject fear.
I revere this office, but I love my country more.
It has been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it is more important than any title.
I gather strength and find joy in working for the American people, but this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me. It’s about you, your families, your future. It’s about us, the people, and we can never forget that. And I never did that.
I have made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come.
America will have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide: do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy? Right now, we can see those with whom we disagree not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. Can we do this? Does character in public life still matter?
I believe you know the answer to these questions because I know you, the American people, and I know this: We are a great nation because we are a good people.
When you elected me to this position, I promised to always be honest with you, to tell you the truth. And the truth, the sacred cause of this country, is greater than any of us, and those of us who cherish that cause value it so much, that the cause of American democracy itself must unite to protect it.
You know, over the past few weeks it has become clear to me that I need to unite my party in this critical effort. I believe that my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for the future of America deserved a second term, but nothing, nothing can stop the salvation of our democracy, and that includes personal ambition.
So I decided that the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. This is the best way to unite our nation. I know there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life, but there is also a time and a place for new voices, new voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now.
For the next six months, I will be focused on doing my job as president. This means I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families and grow our economy. I will continue to defend our personal freedoms and our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose. I will continue to call out hate and extremism, making it clear that there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any kind of violence, period. I will continue to speak out to protect our children from gun violence, our planet from the climate crisis, it’s existential threat.
And I will continue to fight for my cancer, so that we can end cancer as we know it, because we can. And I will call for reform of the Supreme Court because this is fundamental to our democracy, reform of the Supreme Court. You know, I will continue to work to ensure that America remains strong and safe and is the leader of the free world.
I am the first president this century to inform the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world. We will continue to bring together a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking control of Ukraine and causing more damage. We will keep NATO stronger and make it more powerful and more united than at any time in our entire history. I will continue to do the same for allies in the Pacific.
You know, when I took office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably overtake the United States. That is no longer the case. And I will continue to work to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war.
We are also working around the clock to bring home Americans who are unjustly detained around the world. You know, we’ve come so far since my inauguration. That day I told you as I was in that winter – we were in a winter of dangers and a winter of possibilities, dangers and possibilities. We were in the grip of the worst pandemic of the century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War, but we came together as Americans and got through it all. We emerge stronger, more prosperous and safer.
Today, we have the strongest economy in the world, creating almost 16 million new jobs – a record. Wages have risen, inflation continues to fall, the racial wealth gap is the lowest it has been in 20 years. We are literally rebuilding our entire nation, urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities. Manufacturing returned to America.
We are once again leading the world in chips, science and innovation. We finally beat Big Pharma after all these years to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and I will keep fighting to make sure we lower the cost for everyone, not just seniors.
More people have health care today in America than ever before. And I signed one of the most significant laws that helps millions of veterans and their families who have been exposed to toxic materials. You know, the most significant climate law ever in the history of the world, the first major gun safety law in 30 years. And today, the violent crime rate is at its lowest level in 50 years.
We are also protecting our border. Border crossings are lower today than when the previous administration left office. And I kept my commitment to nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. I also maintained my commitment to have an administration that looks like America and is a president for all Americans.
That’s what I did. I ran for president four years ago because I believed, and still believe, that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake and still is. America is an idea, an idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant.
It is the most powerful idea in the history of the world. This idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident. We are all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. We have never fully lived up to this sacred idea, but we have also never strayed from it, and I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.
In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future. I made my choice. I made my opinions known. I would like to thank our great Vice President Kamala Harris. She’s experienced, she’s tough, she’s capable. She has been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country. Now the choice is up to you, the American people.
As you make this choice, remember the words of Benjamin Franklin. It hangs on my wall here in the Oval Office, next to busts of Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and Cesar Chavez. When Ben Franklin was asked, as he left the convention, whether the founders gave America a monarchy or a republic, Franklin’s response was “a republic, if you can keep it.” A republic, if you can keep it. Maintaining our republic is now in your hands.
My fellow Americans, it has been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for more than 50 years. Nowhere else in the world could a stuttering child from modest backgrounds in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day be able to sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States, but here I am. That’s what’s so special about America.
We are a nation of promise and possibility, of dreamers and doers, of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. I gave my heart and soul to our nation, like so many others. I have been blessed a million times over in exchange for the love and support of the American people. I hope you have some idea of how grateful I am to all of you.
The best thing about America is that the kings and dictators don’t govern here, the people do. The story is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America is in your hands. We just have to keep faith, keep faith and remember who we are. We are the United States of America and there is simply nothing, nothing beyond our capabilities when we do this together.
So let’s act together, preserve our democracy. God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Thanks.
