Joe Biden delivered a solemn farewell speech to the United Nations on Tuesday, citing his decision to drop out of the US presidential election and warning about the dangers of dictators around the world who refuse to step down.
“My fellow leaders, we must never forget that some things are more important than staying in power,” Biden said to thunderous applause in his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The 81-year-old president called on world leaders to stand up for democracy amid growing turmoil and conflict, urged support for Ukraine and pushed for peace in the Middle East.
But six weeks ahead of voting that could return isolationist and election-denier Donald Trump to the White House, Biden ended his speech by drawing lessons from his own life.
“This summer I had to decide whether or not I should seek a second term as president. It was a difficult decision. Being president has been the honor of my life, and there’s still so much I want to do,” Biden said.
He said, “As much as I love my job, I love my country more than anything. I decided after 50 years of public service, it was time for a new generation of leadership to take my country forward.”
“It’s your people that matter most.”
history wiped out
Biden dropped out of the White House race after a botched TV debate against Trump in July raised concerns about his mental acuity, and he endorsed his Vice President, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee.
Countries around the world are now nervously watching the US election on November 5, as they fear a Trump win would mark the return of his hardline foreign policy.
Biden’s speech attempted to burnish his own legacy while also urging other world leaders to protect it from being overturned by Republicans if he wins.
He said that during five decades of public service he had witnessed “a remarkable transformation of history”, and while the world was grappling with a series of crises, “things can get better, we must never forget that.”
Reflecting on the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 to end his country’s two decades of involvement, Biden said he thinks about the American soldiers killed by bombs during the withdrawal “every single day.”
The US president, who often talks about his family’s Irish roots, also reiterated many familiar themes from his presidency, quoting Irish poet W.B. Yeats’ line about how “the centre cannot stand” while insisting that it can.
Biden drew laughs from the assembled world leaders when he joked, “I know I only look 40.”
For all the high-level themes, Biden’s speech offered little detail about addressing the foreign policy issues that Trump or Harris would have to deal with.
Crisis and uncertainty
He warned against a “full-scale war” in Lebanon but did not explain how to avoid it, while Israel launched attacks targeting Hezbollah that killed at least 558 people.
Meanwhile, Biden’s prized goal of a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas appears further away than ever.
On Ukraine, Biden firmly stated that “Putin’s war” in Ukraine has failed and warned that Kiev’s allies “cannot tire” of their support.
He is due to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – who was present at the UN hall to watch Biden’s speech – for talks at the White House on Thursday.
During his speech, Biden also stressed the importance of U.S. alliances, which he has sought to strengthen after the Trump years — during which Republicans repeatedly questioned long-standing U.S. relationships.
Biden held a joint event with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to combat the fentanyl trade, met with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and was scheduled to deliver a speech on climate.
Biden’s final song at the United Nations comes amid a broader effort to “Trump-proof” his legacy in his final four months in power.
He himself noted that he “came into the presidency at another moment of crisis and uncertainty,” just days before Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to prevent lawmakers from certifying Biden’s election victory.
Trump is still falsely claiming he won the 2020 US presidential election and has repeatedly refused to say he would accept the results if Harris wins this time.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
