Fri | Sep 20, 2024

Biden will address the nation Wednesday on his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic reelection bid

Published:Tuesday | July 23, 2024 | 1:33 PM
President Joe Biden arrives to board Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base, in Dover, Delaware, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Biden is returning to the White House from his Rehoboth Beach home after recovering from a COVID-19 infection. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (AP) — President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening on his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic re-election bid.

Biden posted on X that he would speak "on what lies ahead" and how he will "finish the job for the American people." He will speak at 8 p.m. ET.

The president departed Delaware shortly before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, after nearly a week of isolating at his Rehoboth Beach home after his second bout with COVID-19. Biden is now testing negative for the virus and his symptoms have resolved, according to a letter from his doctor, Kevin O'Connor, released Tuesday.

Holding a blue paper mask, he told reporters that "I am feeling well" but did not answer other questions, such as whether Vice President Kamala Harris can defeat Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Biden has not been seen publicly since July 17, but he called into a campaign meeting on Monday to address staff and express his support for Harris' bid to replace him a day after announcing he would leave the race.

Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.