Joe Biden says he's passing the torch to 'unite the nation'

US President Joe Biden has said his decision to step aside from the 2024 presidential race and endorse Kamala Harris as the Democratic Presidential nominee was an act aimed at unifying the nation and passing “the torch to a new generation.”

The prime-time speech marked the first time Biden had spoken directly to the American people on-camera since his announcement three days ago that he was stepping away from the campaign trail.

“I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That's the best way to unite our nation. I there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life, but there's also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now,” an emotional Biden said in the rare Oval Office address on Wednesday.

Biden, 81, said he revered the President's Office but he loved his country more.

"It's been the honour of my life to serve as president but in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it's more important than any title," he said.

"I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future all merited a second term," Biden said.

"But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition, so I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation."

On Vice President Harris, Biden said she is "experienced, she's tough, she's capable" and called her an "incredible partner" during their three-and-a-half years together.

"I've made my choice. I've made my views known … Now, the choice is up to you, the American people," he said.

Biden continued to emphasise what he believes is at risk this election, which he's repeatedly cast as an "inflection point" to save the nation's founding principles.

"I ran for president four years ago because I believed, and still do, that the soul of America was at stake, the very nature of who we are was at stake," he said. "And that's still the case."

“I've made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come,” he said.

Harris, 59, who is of Indian and African origin, has now emerged as the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.

He was surrounded by First Lady Jill Biden, his son Hunter Biden and several family members. Toward the end of remarks, Ashley Biden reached for the hand of her mother, Jill Biden, who was seated next to her.

After the president concluded his remarks, Jill Biden walked to the Resolute Desk and stood next to her husband.

Harris watched Biden’s Address to the Nation from Houston, where she is spending the night after visiting the city’s Emergency Operations Center to receive a briefing on the ongoing recovery efforts following Hurricane Beryl.

Biden in his remarks said that America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.

“We have to decide, do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy. In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans,” he said.

Biden also looked ahead to what he still hopes to do in these final six months. He zeroed in on the need to address gun violence, and climate change, continuing to improve the economy and reforming the US Supreme Court.

“That means I'll continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy, and 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, and make it clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period. I'm going to keep speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence, our planet from climate crisis, is the existential threat,” he said.

Biden said he was the first president in this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world.

“We'll keep rallying a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking over Ukraine and doing more damage. We'll keep NATO stronger, and I'll make it more powerful and more united than at any time in all of our history,” he said.

“I'll keep doing the same for allies in the Pacific. When I came to office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably surpass the United States. That's not the case anymore. I'm going to keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war,” said the president.

Biden said in just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America's future.

Biden, who initially resisted calls to step aside and insisted he was the best person to take on Donald Trump, said he now believes a new path is necessary.

The president did not address ongoing Republican criticisms about his fitness to serve. The White House earlier Wednesday, 24 July had said his health had "nothing" to do with his decision.