After weeks of speculation about his physical and mental abilities, United States President Joe Biden announced this Sunday, July 21, in a letter to Americans that he was withdrawing from the race for a second term in the White House. Here is the text of this historic announcement:
“My dear compatriots,
Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.
Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our country, lowering the cost of drugs for seniors, and providing affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided much-needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. We’ve passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. We’ve appointed the first African-American woman to the Supreme Court. And we’ve passed the most significant climate legislation in world history.
America has never been better positioned to lead the way than it is today.
I know that none of this would have been possible without you, the American people. Together, we have weathered a 100-year pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We have protected and preserved our democracy. And we have revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
“There is nothing America cannot do”
Serving as your President has been the greatest honor of my life. And while it was my intention to run again, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country that I step aside and focus solely on serving as President for the remainder of my term.
I will speak to the Nation in more detail about my decision later this week.
At this point, let me express my deep gratitude to all those who worked so hard to see me re-elected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all of this. And let me express my sincere gratitude to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me. I believe today what I have always believed: There is nothing America cannot do — when we do it together. We must simply remember that we are the United States of America.”