What did Trump say ahead of Biden’s speech?
Ahead of Joe Biden’s speech last night, Donald Trump unleashed a barrage of attacks against his likely new opponent Kamala Harris, calling her his “new victim to defeat”.
He also accused her of deceiving the public about President Biden’s ability to run for a second term.
In his rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, which marked the former president’s first public campaign event since Mr Biden dropped out of the 2024 election, he said: “So now we have a new victim to defeat: lyin’ Kamala Harris.
He called her “the most incompetent and far left vice president in American history” and also said she was a “radical left lunatic”.
Speaking on her positions on abortion and immigration, he called her “crazy”.
Trump also accused Ms Harris of being just as responsible for Mr Biden’s policies at the US-Mexico border, which saw illegal crossing arrests reach record highs at the end of 2023 and repeated his pledge to conduct mass deportations with the help of local police.
“Kamala’s deadly destruction of America’s borders is completely and totally disqualifying. She shouldn’t be allowed to run for president with what she’s done,” Trump told supporters.
The former president’s stop in North Carolina shows he is concerned about keeping the state in his column this November.
Obama ‘plans to endorse Harris’
Barack Obama plans to endorse Kamala Harris as the Democratic 2024 presidential candidate soon, our US partner network NBC News reports.
The former president has been in contact with Ms Harris since she announced her presidential candidacy and has privately fully supported her nomination, the report said, citing people familiar with the discussions.
One source said: “He has been in regular contact with her and thinks she’s been off to a great start.”
The precise time at which Mr Obama will endorse the vice president is still unclear.
“Aides to Obama and Harris also have discussed arranging for the two of them to appear together on the campaign trail, though no date has been set,” the report said.
Michelle Obama also supports Ms Harris’s candidacy, according to the sources.
After Mr Biden led the charge in endorsing Ms Harris, she gained an array of support from prominent figures.
Bill and Hillary Clinton were quick to follow, pledging their support for the vice president.
Other names once touted as potential substitutes for Mr Biden also rallied behind – Governors Gavin Newsom and Josh Shapiro.
But while the Obamas’ office lauded Mr Biden, no reference was made to Ms Harris.
Analysis: Lame duck Biden lacked vitality as he delivered farewell speech in all but name
By James Matthews, US correspondent
This was a president with six months left in office, and yet, it was a farewell address in all but name.
It felt odd, entirely in keeping with the denouement ofJoe Biden’s demise – a president dragged kicking and screaming to the exit.
The set-piece address was given the Oval Office treatment, normally reserved for times of national crisis.
Legacy was laced through it, a self-penned narrative to shore up a reputation.
The president talked through his achievements in office and laid out a platform for electability.
It was the “defence of democracy” campaign script that belongs to someone else now – Biden borrowed it to emphasise self-sacrifice.
You can read the full analysis here…
Watch: Biden’s speech in full
Joe Biden’s historic address to the American people was at around 1am UK time – so you’ll be forgiven if you missed it.
You can watch it in full here – it runs to about 11 minutes.
Speaking in the Oval Office at the White House, the president was surrounded by portraits of “extraordinary” Americans, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
He said “it has been the honour of my life to serve as your president” and asked if the people of America could see people they disagree with “not as enemies, but as fellow Americans”.
“We are a great nation, because we are good people,” he said.
Watch now…
Biden explains reasons for quitting and sets out plan for his final six months
We have been reporting through the night on Joe Biden’s first speech to the nation after his decision to step out of the presidential race.
Here’s a quick recap of what the president said…
President Biden said he pulled out of the race against Donald Trump over concerns about the future of US democracy, explaining he was stepping aside to allow a new generation to take over.
“I revere this office,” he said.
“But I love my country more.”
Mr Biden, who rebuffed weeks of pressure from Democrats to step aside, said: “I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our nation.”
He praised Kamala Harris, who, after his endorsement, says she has secured enough Democratic delegates to become the nominee in his place.
“She’s tough. She’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country,” Mr Biden said.
The president used his 11-minute speech to speak about the danger he believes Americans face if Trump wins, without mentioning Trump by name.
He also said that for the next six months, he’ll continue to do his job as president.
That, he said, included continuing to “lower costs for hard-working families”, calling out “hate and extremism” and making it clear that there is “no place for political violence”.
The president also said he will keep speaking out “to protect kids from gun violence” and to protect “our planet from the climate crisis”.
“Nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,” he added.
“The great thing about America is here, kings and dictators do not rule. The people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands.”
Out of shot of the camera during the speech were several members of Mr Biden’s close-knit family, and senior advisers, seated along the curved Oval Office wall.
They erupted into applause when Mr Biden completed his remarks.
Good morning – here’s the latest
We’re back with our coverage of the US elections.
Last night, Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office for the first time since dropping his re-election bid, saying he decided to forgo personal ambition to save democracy.
He said that for the next six months, he’ll continue to do his job as president.
That, he said, included continuing to “lower costs for hard-working families”, calling out “hate and extremism” and making it clear that there is “no place for political violence”.
Mr Biden was greeted with cheers, applause and music in the Rose Garden after the address.
Shortly before the speech, Republican Donald Trump laid into
Democratic rival Kamala Harris and branded her a “radical left lunatic”.
Here are the other key developments you may have missed:
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress and said “America and Israel must stand together”. He also pushed back on the claim from the International Criminal Court that Israel is deliberately targeting civilians in Gaza;
- But his visit was protested by thousands of demonstrators outside Congress, with arrests made;
- The man who shot Donald Trump had previously looked up details about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the head of the FBI said;
- Elon Musk denied reports that he was planning to donate $45m a month to a new pro-Trump super political-action committee.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he believed it was “very possible” Kamala Harris will win the US election but stopped short of endorsing her.
We’re pausing our live coverage
Our live coverage of the US election is ending for the day, but if you’re just checking in, here is a recap of the key developments from the past 24 hours:
- Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office, telling America that it was time for “younger voices” to step up. The president spoke for 11 minutes but didn’t delve deeply into why he made the decision to “pass the torch” just three months before the election.
- He called Kamala Harris “experienced, tough, capable” but gave no mention to Donald Trump.
- Donald Trump held his first campaign rally since Joe Biden ended his bid for re-election, speaking in North Carolina.The former president spent much of the two hours he was on stage attacking Kamala Harris, calling her a “very bad person” and someone who would “destroy our nation”.
- Ms Harris meanwhile took her campaign to Indianapolis, where she gave a keynote speech at a gathering of Howard University sorority Zeta Phi Beta. She criticised what she called Donald Trump’s plan to “return America back to a dark past” of ultra-conservatism.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress, where he said “America and Israel must stand together.” He praised Joe Biden and Donald Trump, criticised protesters against him, and implored the US to speed up military assistance so Israel can “finish the job faster”.
- Outside Congress, thousands of demonstrators gathered to protest Mr Netanyahu’s visit to the capital. An effigy of the Israeli leader was burned, protesters were hit with pepper spray in clashes with police, and six people were arrested for disrupting the address inside the House Galleries.
Harris watched Biden’s address from Houston
Kamala Harris watched the president’s Oval Office speech tonight from Houston, a White House official said.
The vice president, who received Mr Biden’s endorsement to succeed him, is in Texas for a two-day trip that includes a speech to the American Federation of Teachers.
Trump watches Biden address
Donald Trump posed for a photo during Joe Biden’s address to the US this evening.
One of Mr Trump’s staff members shared the image of the former president on X, showing him standing in front of a TV screen showing Mr Biden’s speech.
First lady shares personal note after Biden speech
Jill Biden has shared a personal note following Joe Biden’s address to the US tonight.
The First Lady was sat in the Oval Office as Mr Biden spoke for 11 minutes following his decision not to seek re-election.
The note read: “To those who never wavered, to those who refused to doubt, to those who always believed, my heart is full of gratitude.
“Thank you for the trust you put in Joe—now it’s time to put that trust in Kamala. Love, Jill”