President Joe Biden delivered a primetime address Wednesday night to make his case for his presidency as he reluctantly leaves the White House after five decades in politics.
“This will be my last address to you from the American people, from the Oval Office, from this office as president. And I’ve been thinking a lot about who we are and perhaps more importantly, who we should be,” he said.
He delivered his final address to the nation from the Oval Office, speaking from behind the Resolute Desk. Ahead of his remarks, the White House released a document detailing his four years as president. It ran to more than 100 pages.
Biden, 82, has sought to cement his legacy in recent weeks by going on a farewell tour as wildfires rage through California.
The president presented his foreign policy achievements on Monday. On Wednesday, he announced a ceasefire in the Middle East aimed at ending the war in Gaza, and questioned whether Donald Trump also deserved the credit.
The White House social media accounts are in disarray, posting lists of Biden’s accomplishments: his infrastructure bill, clean energy initiatives and pulling the country out of the COVID pandemic.
President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation
Biden, in a letter to the nation released Wednesday morning, described the country as “stronger, more prosperous and more secure” than four years ago.
“It has been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for more than fifty years,” Biden wrote.
“Nowhere else on earth could a stuttering child from humble beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States,” he said.
“I have given my heart and soul to our nation. And in return, I have been blessed a million times over with the love and support of the American people.”
He also touted his economic record, which included a streak of more than 40 consecutive months on the job, but also a period of high inflation that raised concerns about his handling of the economy and contributed to his election loss.
“Today we have the strongest economy in the world and have created a record 16.6 million new jobs. Wages are up. Inflation continues to fall. The racial wealth gap is the lowest in 20 years.”
“We are rebuilding our entire nation: urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities. Manufacturing is coming back to America,” Biden wrote.
But his presidency also had its failures, including his quest to expand social services, including lowering child care costs and supporting programs to reduce child poverty.
There was the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, in which 13 American soldiers were killed in an airport bombing. And his controversial pardon of his son Hunter.
Ukraine’s war with Russia also hangs over the final days of Biden’s presidency.
Biden himself was wistful as he prepared to leave the White House on January 20.
He even claims he could have defeated Donald Trump in the November election.
“It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think so,” Biden told USA Today, citing polls he reviewed.
He reluctantly ended his presidential ambitions in July after a disastrous debate against Trump led Democratic leaders to push him out the door.
His age was clearly visible as he searched for words, searched his message and shuffled onto the stage.
He leaves office with the lowest approval ratings of his presidency. A CNN poll found that only 36% of adults say they approve of how Biden handled his time in office, matching his previous low mark in CNN polls during his term.
Trump, meanwhile, comes in with a mandate, having won the popular vote and every battleground state.
Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris by a huge margin in November, even taking victory in all seven swing states. Biden thinks he would have won a rematch
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021 as Jill Biden holds the Bible and their children Ashley and Hunter look on
However, Biden has vowed to remain part of public life.
“I will not be out of sight or out of mind,” he said last week when asked about his post-presidential life.
On Sunday he visits Charleston, South Carolina – his last full day as president of the United States. His victory state’s primaries put him on the path to winning the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential race.
He and Jill Biden will attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday. They will then head to California, NBC News reported, to stay in Santa Ynez, where they spent a vacation in August.
After Trump takes the oath of office, they board the blue and white 747 for their journey west.
But it will no longer be Air Force One – the designation for the plane that carries the President of the United States. The flight will be known simply as Special Mission.