Biden to give a White House address Wednesday on his decision to drop out of the 2024 election race

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced he will give a prime-time address from the White House on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on his decision to exit the presidential race.

“I address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people,” the president said in a post on X.

In addition to providing a detailed explanation for his withdrawal from the race, Biden also wants to talk about the work ahead in the remaining months of his presidential term, a source familiar with his remarks told NBC News.

Biden issued a letter Sunday saying he would not accept the Democratic nomination and then endorsed his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, to replace him atop the ticket. Biden was diagnosed days before with Covid, which delayed him in publicly commenting about the decision.

In his letter, Biden said he believes stepping aside is “in the best interest” of the country and the Democratic Party.

“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in the letter, posted on X. “I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”

Biden is scheduled to depart Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he was self-isolating last week to recover from Covid, and return to the White House on Tuesday afternoon.

Biden and his close aides have already begun working on the speech, two people familiar with the matter said. They will continue drafting the address today while the president is still in Rehoboth, with the expectation that this will be his first major event after he returns to Washington this week.

Biden wants his first act from there to be speaking directly to the American people, these people said. The format and exact setting were still a matter of discussion late Sunday but the indication at this time is that it would take place at the White House.