Biden's speech

 

Biden's speech 

My fellow Americans

I’m speaking to you tonight from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. 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.

I love this office, but I love my country more.

Serving as your president has been the honor of my life. In the defense of

 democracy, which is at stake, I think it's more important than any title.

I draw strength and joy in working for the American people. This sacred task of

 perfecting our union is not about me. It's about you, your families, your futures. It's

 about us, the people, and we can never forget that. And I never have.

I’ve 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 is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between

 hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide if we still believe in

 honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice, and democracy. At this moment, we

 can see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. Can we

 do that? Does character in public life still matter?

I believe you know the answers to these questions because I know you, the

 American people. I know this: we are a great nation because we are a good people.

When you elected me to this office, I promised to always level with you, to tell you

 the truth. The truth, the sacred cause of this country, is larger than any one of us.

 Those of us who cherish that cause cherish it so much. The cause of American

 democracy itself must unite to protect it.

In recent weeks, it’s become clear to me that I needed to unite my party in this

 critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, and

 my vision for America’s future all merited a second term, but nothing can come in

 the way of saving our democracy, including 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. There is a time and a place for long years of

 experience in public life, but there’s also a time and place for new voices, fresh

 voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now.

Over the next six months, I’ll focus on doing my job as president. That means I’ll

 continue to lower costs for hard-working families and grow our economy. I’ll keep

 defending our personal freedoms and civil rights, from the right to vote to the

 right to choose. I’ll keep calling out hate and extremism, making it clear there is no

 place in America for political violence or any violence, period. I’ll keep speaking

 out to protect our kids from gun violence and our planet from climate crisis, which

 is the existential threat.

I will keep fighting for my cancer moonshot so we can end cancer as we know it

 because we can do it. I’m going to call for Supreme Court reform because this is

 critical to our democracy. I will keep working to ensure America remains strong,

 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 more united than ever before. I’ll keep doing the

 same for allies in the Pacific.

When I came to office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably

 surpass the United States. That's not the case anymore. I’m going to keep working

 to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages, and bring peace and security

 to the Middle East.

We’re also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly

 detained all around the world. We’ve come so far since my inauguration. On that

 day, we stood in a winter of peril and possibilities. We were in the grip of the worst

 pandemic of the century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,

 and 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.

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, and the racial

 wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years. We're literally rebuilding our entire

 nation—urban, suburban, rural, and tribal communities. Manufacturing has come

 back to America.

We’re leading the world again in chips, science, and innovation. We finally beat Big

 Pharma to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and I’m going to keep

 fighting to make sure we lower the cost for everyone.

More people have health care today in America than ever before. I signed one of

 the most significant laws helping millions of veterans and their families exposed to

 toxic materials. The most significant climate law in the history of the world, and

 the first major gun safety law in 30 years. Today, 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. I’ve kept my commitment to appoint the first

 Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States. I also kept my

 commitment to have an administration that looks like America and to be a

 president for all Americans.

That's what I've done. 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 is an idea, stronger than any army, bigger

 than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant.

It's the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we hold

 these truths to be self-evident, that we are all created equal, endowed by our

 creator with certain inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

 We’ve never fully lived up to it, but we’ve never walked away from it either. 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’ve made my choice and my views known. I want to thank our great Vice

 President Kamala Harris. She’s experienced, tough, capable, and has been an

 incredible partner and leader for our country. 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, Rosa Parks, and

 Cesar Chavez. When Ben Franklin was asked if the founders had given America a

 monarchy or a republic, his response was “a republic, if you can keep it.” 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 as President of the United States. That's what's so special about

 America.

We are a nation of promise and possibilities, of dreamers and doers, of ordinary

 Americans doing extraordinary things. I’ve given my heart and soul to our nation,

 like so many others. I’ve been blessed a million times in return with the love and

 support of the American people. I hope you have some idea of 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. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of

 America lies in your hands. We 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 beyond our capacity when we do it together.

So let’s act together to preserve our democracy. God bless you all, and may God

 protect our troops. Thank you.