US President Joe Biden said he will give a prime-time televised address on Wednesday night about his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. "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," Biden, who has been recovering from COVID, said in an X post on Tuesday.
The president is scheduled to return to the White House on Tuesday after isolating at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home after being diagnosed last week with COVID-19.
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 Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid to replace him a day after announcing he would leave the race.
Biden heads to Washington
He headed to Washington on Tuesday, two days after ending his re-election bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination to take on Republican former President Donald Trump. Biden spent nearly a week recovering from COVID at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, as he weighed his 2024 candidacy, ultimately dropping his campaign and preparing to address the nation about his decision to not seek another term in office.
The president wore his trademark aviator glasses and clasped a surgical mask as he boarded Air Force One to Washington, where he will speak to Americans from the Oval Office on Wednesday night.
Biden's White House physician said the president had tested negative for COVID and that his symptoms had resolved. "The president continues to perform all of his presidential duties," Dr. Kevin O'Connor wrote in a letter on Tuesday.
(With inputs from agency)