President Joe Biden sent a message to leaders in his final address to the UN General Assembly as he revealed more details about what led him to withdraw from the 2024 race against Donald Trump.
While focusing mostly on issues abroad, including the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden also noted how he “faced the decision of whether to run for a second term as president” over the summer.
“Being president is the pride of my life. I have so much more to do. But as much as I love work, I love my country more. After 50 years of public service, I decided it was time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward.
Then, with a more blunt approach, Biden added to the applause, “My fellow leaders, let us never forget that some things are more important than being in power. It’s your people — it’s your people — that’s so important.”
In what could be seen as a dig at his former opponent, Biden continued: “Never forget, we’re here to serve the people, not the other way around. Because the future will be there — the future will be won by those who unleash their people’s full potential to breathe freely, think freely, innovate, live fearlessly, and love openly.”
Biden has been largely optimistic in reflecting on his decades of service and the trials and tribulations of global crises — the Cold War and Vietnam War in his early days, now replaced by conflicts in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine and Ukraine. .
“We cannot be discouraged,” he said of the myriad conflicts that have blossomed in recent years. “We can’t look away.”
Regarding Afghanistan, Biden said, “When I took office as president, Afghanistan replaced Vietnam as America’s longest war. I was determined to finish it, and I did. It was a tough decision, but the right one.
Biden reiterated that “four American presidents have faced that decision, but I was determined not to leave it to the fifth.”
“Things can get better,” Biden said. “We should never forget that. I’ve seen that throughout my career.
“Maybe because of everything I’ve seen and everything we’ve done together over the decades, I have hope. I know there’s a way forward.
His speech comes more than a month after an interview CBS Sunday Morning While he revealed a key decision in his departure, “Many of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought I was going to hurt them in the races. I was worried that if I stayed in the race, that would be the title. You’re interviewing me about why Nancy Pelosi said and did what she did—I thought that would be a real distraction.
