Biden Calls Into Campaign Headquarters After Ending Bid, Vows the 'Mission is Not Over'

TIME

A day after he announced he would drop out of the 2024 presidential race, President Joe Biden called into the campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, that used to be his to urge staffers to "embrace" his vice president, Kamala Harris.

Transcript

00:00And now, I'd like to introduce a man who we all admire and respect because he has done

00:07and continues to do so much for our country.

00:11Mr. President, thank you for calling in today.

00:14Over to you.

00:15Julie, if I didn't have COVID, I'd be sitting there with you, standing there with you.

00:22I'm so proud of what you've all done.

00:24And this COVID-19 has been keeping me out of people's hair for the next three or four

00:31days.

00:32But I'm going to be on the road, and I'm not going anywhere.

00:35I know yesterday's news was surprising, and it was hard for you to hear, but it was the

00:41right thing to do.

00:43I know it's hard because you poured your heart and soul into me to help us win this thing.

00:48Help me get this nomination.

00:50Help me win the nomination and then go on to win the presidency.

00:56But you know, you're an amazing team, but we've got a great, great, I think we made

01:00the right decision.

01:01I know how hard you've worked, how many sacrifices you've made, and so many of you, so many of

01:07you uprooted your lives for me and the kind of commitment few people make for anything

01:12these days, but you made it.

01:14And I've been honored and humbled.

01:16I mean, this is from the bottom of my heart, a word as a Biden, for all you've done for

01:20me and my family.

01:22And we built the best campaign organization in history.

01:26I've been doing this, I always kid and say, I know I'm only 40, but I've been around a

01:30long time.

01:31I don't know of a better campaign organization, grassroots campaign.

01:35You know, we have over 230 offices opened.

01:38We have over 2,000 paid staff, and we have literally several thousand volunteers on a

01:44regular basis, thousands of them.

01:46And they've been relentless and tireless and reaching out and contacting voters.

01:50The leadership of this campaign has been amazing.

01:53General Malley-Dillon, Julie Quinton, Michael Tyler, Rob Flaherty, Rufus on raising money

01:57and so many more.

01:59You built this team, you brought us together, you've inspired them, and you've done what

02:05leaders do.

02:06Now we got to, you know, the name has changed the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn't

02:11changed at all.

02:13And by the way, I'm not going anywhere.

02:14I'm going to be out there in the campaign with her, with Kamala, I'm going to be working

02:17like hell, both as a sitting president getting legislation passed, as well as in campaigning.

02:25You know, what we still need to save is democracy.

02:28And Trump is still a danger to the community, a danger to the nation.

02:33And just ask my foreign policy colleagues, my counterparts and other people around the

02:38world and at home.

02:41So I'm hoping you'll give every bit of your heart and soul that you gave to me to Kamala.

02:47And I want you to know, I won't be on the ticket, but I'm still going to be fully, fully

02:53engaged.

02:54I've got six months left in my presidency.

02:56I'm determined to get as much done as I possibly can, both foreign policy and domestic policy.

03:02Keep lowering costs for families, continue to speak out on guns and child care, elder

03:07care, prescription drugs and climate.

03:10This still is the existential threat that we face.

03:12And if we don't win this thing, it's all in jeopardy.

03:16And we've got to keep working for an end to the war in Gaza.

03:19I'll be working very closely with the Israelis and with the Palestinians to try to work out

03:25how we can get the Gaza war to end and the Middle East peace and get all those hostages

03:31home.

03:32I think we're on the verge of being able to do that.

03:33And we've got to keep our alliances together.

03:36It's critically important.

03:37It took a while for me to build these alliances.

03:39Most of these are my colleagues have acknowledged that, but it's critically, critically important

03:44for our safety and security.

03:46And I know I'll be doing whatever Kamala wants me or needs me to do in addition.

03:51So let me be real clear.

03:53We're still fighting in this fight together.

03:55I'm not going anywhere.

03:56And I want you to know I've always, you've always had my back.

03:58And I promise you, I will always have your back.

04:02And I'm anxious for you all to hear from Kamala.

04:05So thank you.

04:07God bless.

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