Biden to Address Nation for First Time Since Ending Candidacy

President Biden will speak via video at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, the first time since self-isolating due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

President Joe Biden speaks during an economic summit at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas on July 16, 2024. Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty Images

President Joe Biden will appear on camera from the Oval Office on July 24 for the first time since ending his candidacy and a week after testing positive for COVID-19.

“Tomorrow evening at 8 PM ET, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people,” he said in a post on X.

The president has been out of the public eye since testing positive for COVID-19 on July 17 while campaigning in Las Vegas. President Biden canceled his remaining events and has since self-isolated in his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

He surprised the nation on Sunday when he pulled out of the presidential race via a letter posted to X before quickly issuing a second statement endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor on the Democratic ticket.

When Ms. Harris traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday to rally her campaign staff and officially accept President Biden’s endorsement, he called into the meeting to urge unity among the staff.

“I’m hoping you’ll give every bit of your heart and soul that you gave to me to Kamala,” he said, stressing that “the name has changed the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn’t changed at all.”

President Biden spoke with reporters after exiting Air Force One in his return to the White House on Tuesday.

“Watch and listen. Why don’t you wait and hear what I say?” he said when asked what his message will be during his speech on Wednesday night, his first on-camera appearance since contracting COVID-19 on July 17.

A reporter asked President Biden why he dropped out of the election. He turned his head to the reporter and laughed before walking to his motorcade. The president arrived at the White House shortly before 3 p.m. ET.

One day after the president withdrew from the race, Ms. Harris secured support from at least 2,574 delegates, according to an Epoch Times tally—more than the 1,976 majority of delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot at the Democratic National Convention, which will be held Aug. 19–22.

Delegates, however, won’t cast their official nomination until the convention, leaving a chance for new candidates to emerge and challenge Ms. Harris. The Associated Press reported that no other candidate had been named by a delegate as of Monday.

President Biden is scheduled to return to the White House on Tuesday after recovering from COVID-19. His physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, released another update on Monday regarding the president’s symptoms, which “almost resolved completely” after a 10th dose of Paxlovid.

The president’s “pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature remain absolutely normal,” Dr. O'Connor wrote. “His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear.”

He said that President Biden “continues to perform all of his presidential duties.”

President Biden also issued a statement after Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle resigned on Tuesday in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13.

“As a leader, it takes honor, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organization tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service,” he wrote.

“The independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions.”

President Biden added that he wishes Ms. Cheatle “all the best” and said he will appoint a new director soon.