5 things to watch in Biden’s address tonight

President Biden will deliver his second prime-time address in a 10-day span Wednesday, this time speaking to the nation about his decision not to seek reelection.

The speech will mark Biden’s first on-camera appearance since he announced Sunday he would step aside as the Democratic nominee. He has endorsed Vice President Harris as the next nominee, and she has quickly consolidated support within the party.

Here are five things to watch for in Biden’s address.

What are his reasons for withdrawing?

Biden’s speech Wednesday will be the first time he will publicly address the reasons behind his decision to drop out of the race roughly 100 days before Election Day.

The president announced on social media that he would not seek another term, but he has so far made no remarks about why he did so or about the Democratic pressure campaign for him to step aside.

“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said Sunday in a letter posted to social platform X.

The president had been defiant about remaining in the race, arguing he was the best candidate to defeat former President Trump in November. 

But he faced mounting calls from prominent Democrats to abandon his reelection bid as they raised concerns he would lose to Trump and hurt the party down the ticket in the process. Roughly three dozen congressional Democrats had called him to pass the torch by the time he made it official.

What does he say about his health?

Biden’s health has been the subject of much speculation following his rocky performance in the June 27 debate against Trump.

The president has also been in isolation for the past five days after testing positive for COVID-19, sparking conspiracies on social media about his well-being. He tested negative Tuesday and left his Rehoboth Beach, Del., home to return to the White House.

Biden and the White House have aggressively pushed back on the idea that the president has some kind of degenerative disease or that his health is preventing him from doing the job for another four years, let alone the rest of this term.

Biden is 81, which made him the oldest presidential candidate in history. He would have been 86 at the end of a prospective second term.

Wednesday’s speech could provide an opportunity for Biden to put those concerns to rest once and for all, and in turn quiet claims from Trump and other Republicans that he’s not really the one in charge.

What does he say about calls to resign?

Numerous Republicans have said Biden should not remain in office if he cannot campaign for another four-year term, calling on him to resign or calling on the Cabinet to remove him via the 25th Amendment.

But the White House has made clear Biden is here to stay through the end of his term.

“He looks forward to finishing his term and delivering more historic results for the American people,” deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement. “That includes continuing to lower costs, create jobs, and protect Social Security while standing against the MAGAnomics agenda that would worsen inflation and drive us into recession. And he’ll keep fighting to protect Americans’ freedoms from radical abortion bans and attacks on the rule of law.”

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called resignation demands “ridiculous.”

But Wednesday will give Biden his first opportunity to directly respond to those calls for his resignation and explain why he intends to remain on the job.

What are his plans for the rest of his term?

Biden will likely use a good portion of his speech to outline his goals for his final six months in office.

While major legislation is unlikely given a divided Congress and a busy campaign season, the president has already indicated where his priorities may lie in the coming weeks and months.

“I’m still going to be fully, fully engaged. I’ve got six months left in my presidency,” he said Monday when he phoned into campaign headquarters. “I’m determined to get as much done as I possibly can, both foreign policy and domestic policy — keep lowering costs for families, continue to speak out on guns, to child care, elder care, prescription drugs and climate.”

Biden is specifically expected to focus on securing a hostage deal in the Middle East to release those being held by Hamas following the group’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. The president will meet Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

How much does he say about Harris?

Biden has endorsed Harris to be the next Democratic nominee, and she is on track to move to the top of the ticket after securing the support of enough delegates to become the likely nominee.

As speculation ramped up over whether Biden would step aside, he told reporters he thought Harris was capable of taking over as president, or he would not have chosen her as his running mate in 2020.

Biden called into the Biden-Harris Delaware campaign headquarters on Monday as Harris paid a visit and gave remarks. The emotion was palpable, as Harris praised Biden as a consequential figure and described the president and first lady Jill Biden as like family.

“I’m watching you kid, I love you,” Biden said on speakerphone at one point when Harris asked if he was still on the line.

It’s unclear how much Biden will use Wednesday’s prime-time address to urge the nation to get behind his potential successor. Biden is a fairly traditional politician who may not want to use an Oval Office address to deliver an overt campaign speech.

Regardless, the president has made clear he will do what he can to get Harris elected and keep Trump out of the White House.