Biden, in Oval Office address, says it was time to 'pass the torch'

Lexie Schapitl is an associate producer with NPR's Washington Desk, where she does a little bit of everything. She can be found reporting from Capitol Hill, producing the NPR Politics podcast or running the NPR Politics social media channels. She has also produced coverage of the January 6th Committee hearings, Trump's first impeachment and the 2020 and 2022 campaigns.

July 24, 2024

In an Oval Office speech this evening, President Biden will address his decision to abandon his race for a second term, as well as his plans to “finish the job for the American people” during his final months in office.

The remarks will be Biden’s first to the public since bowing to pressure from the Democratic Party and withdrawing from the presidential campaign on Sunday.

That decision was quickly followed by an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to run for president. Biden did address his former campaign team via telephone on Monday, when he told staffers that while “the name has changed at the top of the ticket… The mission hasn’t changed at all.”

NPR will carry the president’s 8 p.m. ET address live. Watch it here:

Harris has since received enough support from Democratic National Convention delegates across the country to become the party’s nominee. The Democratic Party will hold a virtual roll call vote on Aug. 7 to officially choose a nominee.

Biden returned to the White House on Tuesday after isolating for days at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del. — during which time he also made the decision to withdraw as the presumptive Democratic nominee. The president had tested positive for COVID last week during a trip to Las Vegas, but as of Monday, Biden’s symptoms had resolved and he took a rapid test that came back negative, his doctor said in a memo released by the White House.

Though Harris takes his place on the campaign trail, Biden still faces a busy schedule back in Washington. After his Wednesday evening address, the president will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday. The leaders are expected to meet with the families of Americans held hostage by Hamas.

The White House said Biden plans to travel to Austin, Texas, on Monday for an event at the LBJ Library.