Biden explains move to 'pass the torch' to 'capable' Harris

"I'd like to thank our great vice president, Kamala Harris," Biden said in his address from the Oval Office.

"She's experience, she's tough, she's capable" he added.

"She's been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country."

He stressed the importance of the decision that US voters will have to make in November, warning against the threats to democracy.

"The great thing about America is that here, kings and dictators do not rules, the people do. History is in your hands, the power is in your hands," Biden said. "Preserve our democracy."

US President Joe Biden spoke to the American people in an Oval Office address, his first since announcing he was ending his election bid.

He said it was up to voters to choose "between moving forward or backward" and "between hope and hate."

He said his legacy in office "merited a second term" but that nothing should get in the way of saving democracy, including "personal ambition."

The president said it was time to make way for younger voices.

He also said he would continue his work in the White House for what he has left of his term, highlighting his plans to "lower costs for hardworking families, grow our economy, I'll keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose."

"I'll keep calling out hate and extremism, making clear there's no place in America for political violence," he said, also touching on the issues of gun violence, climate change and cancer treatments.

"I'm going to call for Supreme Court reform, because this is critical to our democracy," he added. 

He also said he would continue working to "end the war in Gaza and bring all the hostages home."

Former President Donald Trump, who has been confirmed as the Republican presidential candidate for November's election, has begun his attacks against his presumptive Democratic opponent in the race for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris.

In his first rally since President Joe Biden said he would not stand again, Trump called Harris a "radical left lunatic" adding that she "will destroy our country."

"We're not going to let that happen," he told the crowd in North Carolina.

Trump's team has had to pivot after focusing their energies on attacking Biden, especially over his age. But now that 79-year-old Trump is facing off against 59-year-old Harris, they are looking for a new strategy.

He called her "the ultra liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe" and said that she wants "abortions in the eighth and ninth month of pregnancy" as well as "right up until birth and even after birth, the execution of a baby."

This, like many of Trump's remarks on the campaign trail, was made without any evidence.

Officials within the Democratic Party agreed on Wednesday to let delegates vote online from August 1 for a candidate to replace President Joe Biden.

With no other major candidates standing and a majority of delegates already having announced their support for her, Vice President Kamala Harris seems all but certain to be named the party's nominee for November's presidential election.

Harris, and any other candidate, will need to gather 300 electronic delegate signatures, with no more than 50 from any one state, by July 30.

The party appears keen to quickly coalesce around Harris ahead of the national convention on August 19 and to secure the nomination early enough to get on all state ballots, including Ohio where the deadline is August 7.

The party will also want a vice presidential pick by that time, but it was not yet clear who this would be. The current favorites are Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, with several other names in consideration.

Following his announcement on Sunday that he would not run for a second term in November's presidential election, President Joe Biden is set to give speech from the Oval Office on Wednesday to explain his decision.

In a move that came after weeks of speculation, brought on by a disastrous performance during his first debate against confirmed Republican candidate Donald Trump, Biden also gave his support for Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place.

"I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people," Biden wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

The 81-year-old, who himself served as vice president under Barack Obama, is expected to stress the legacy of his time in office as well as to make clear that he will not be a lame duck president for the next six months.

Harris, who has already got the backing of the majority of Democratic delegates meaning she could be confirmed as early as next week, said that Biden's speech would be about "not only the extraordinary work that he has accomplished, but about his work in the next six months."

The president has been recovering from COVID-19, meaning several appointments have been delayed, including a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two leaders had planned to meet on Tuesday, but this was moved forward to Thursday.

ab/wd (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)