Biden says he will “pass the torch” to defend democracy
July 25, 2024
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he was dropping out of the race against Republican Donald Trump over concerns about the future of American democracy, and in his first public statement since completing his re-election bid, said he was stepping aside to allow a new generation to take over.
In a speech in the Oval Office, Biden quoted former presidents Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as he described his love for the office he leaves in six months, ending half a century in public office.