# President Biden Addresses the Nation, July 24, 2024

Joe Biden My fellow Americans, I'm speaking to you tonight from behind the resolute desk in the White House. In this sacred space, I'm surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents: Thomas Jefferson, who wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington, who showed us presidents are not kings. Abraham Lincoln, who implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt, who inspired us to reject fear.
Joe Biden I revere this office, but I love my country more. It's been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it's more important than any title. I draw strength, and I find joy, in working for the American people. But this sacred task, of perfecting our union: it's not about me, it's about you - your families, your futures. It's about we the people. And we could never forget that. And I never have.
Joe Biden I've made it clear that I believe that America is at an inflection point. One of those rare moments in history, when the decisions we make now will determine our fate of our nation and the world for decades to come. America's gonna 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?
Joe Biden In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies, uh - but as friends - as, uh, fellow Americans - can we do that? 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 good people.
Joe Biden When you elected me to this office, I promised to always lettle with you, to tell you the truth. And the truth - the sacred cause of this country is larger than any one of us. And those of us who cherry that cause, cherish it so much - a cause of American democracy itself. We must unite to protect it.
Joe Biden Y'know, in recent weeks it has become clear to me that I need to unite my party in this critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future, all merited a second term. But nothing, nothing, can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition. So I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That's the best way to unite our nation.
Joe Biden Y'know, there is a time and a place for long years of experience in the public life. But there's also a time and a place for fresh voices - new voices - yes, younger voices. And that time and place is now.
Joe Biden Over the next six months, I'll be focused on doing my job as president. That means I'll continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy. I'll keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose. I'll keep calling out hate and extremism. I'll make it clear that there is no place, no place in America for political violence, or any violence at ever. Period. I'm gonna keep-skeep-speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence - our planet from climate crisis, uh, is a existential threat. I will keep fighting my - for my cancer moonshot, so we can end cancer as we know it because we can do it. I'm gonna call for Supreme Court reform, because this is critical to our democracy - Supreme Court reform.
Joe Biden Y'know, I will keep working to ensure America remains strong and secure and the leader of the free world. I'm the first president in this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world. We'll keep rallying a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking over Ukraine and doing more damage. We'll keep NATO stronger, and I'll make it more powerful and more united than any time in all of our history. I'll keep doing the same for allies in the Pacific.
Joe Biden Y'know, when I came to office, the convention was that, was that China would inevitably - uh - would inevitably pass the United States. That's not the case anymore. And I'm gonna keep working to end the war on Gaza, bring home all the hostages, and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war. We're also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.
Joe Biden Y'know, we've come so far since my inauguration. On that day, I told you as I stood in a - winter - we're stood in a winter apparel and a winter of possibilities. Apparel and possibilities. We're in the grip of the worst - we were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a 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 we got through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous, and more secure.
Joe Biden Today, we have the strongest economy in the world, creating nearly 16 million new jobs - a record. Wages are up. Inflation continues to come down. The racial wealth gap is the lowest it's been in 20 years. We're literally rebuilding our entire nation - urban, suburban, rural, and travel communities.
Joe Biden Manufacturing has come back to America. We're leading the world again - in chips, and science, and innovation. We finally beat Big Pharma after all these years to lower the costs of prescription drugs for seniors, and I'm gonna keep fighting to make sure we lower the costs for everyone, not just seniors. More people have healthcare today in America than ever before. And I signed one of the most significant laws, helping millions of veterans and their families who are exposed to toxic materials.
Joe Biden Y'know, most significant climate law ever. Ever in the history of the world. The first major gun safety law in 30 years. Today, violent - the violent crime rate is at a 50-year low. We're also securing our border. Border crossings are lower today than when the previous administration left office.
Joe Biden I've kept my commitment to appoint the first black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. I also kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America and be a present for all Americans. That's what I've done.
Joe Biden I ran for president four years ago because I believed, and still do, that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake. And that's still the case. America's an idea - an idea stronger than any armory, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant. So, powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident: we're all created equal. Endowed, we're created with certain inalienable rights: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. We've never fully lived up to it - to this sacred idea - but we've never fully walked away from it either. And I don't believe the American people will walk away from it now.
Joe Biden In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America's future. I made my choice. I made my views known. I'd like to thank our great vice president, Kamala Harris, the experienced. She's tough. She's capable. She's been an incredible partner for me and a leader for our country.
Joe Biden Now the choice is up to you, the American people. When you make that choice, remember the words of Benjamin Franklin, hanging on my wall here in the Oval Office, alongside the busts of Dr. King and Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez. When Ben Franklin was asked, as he emerged from the - the convenky - the convention going on, whether the founders have given America a monarchy or a republic, Franklin response was: a republic, if you can keep it. A republic, if you can keep it.
Joe Biden Whether we keep our republic is now in your hands. My fellow Americans, it's been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years. Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter, from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States. But here I am.
Joe Biden That's what's so special about America. We're a nation of promise and possibilities, of dreamers, of doers, of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things.
Joe Biden I give my heart and my soul to our nation, like so many others. But I'm blessed, a million times in return, the love and support of the American people. I hope you have some idea how grateful I am to all of you. The great thing about America is that here, kings and dictators do not rule. The people do.
Joe Biden History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. You just have to keep faith - keep the faith - and remember who we are. We're the United States of America, and there's simply nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together. So let's act together, preserve our democracy.
Joe Biden God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Thank you.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).
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