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President Joe Biden shared a farewell letter to Americans days before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, which will officially mark the end of his own political career after serving office for more than 50 years.
“Four years ago, we stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities. We were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War,” Biden said via the New York Post. “But we came together as Americans, and we braved through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous, and more secure.”
“I ran for president because I believed that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake. And, that’s still the case,” he added.
“America is an idea stronger than any army and larger than any ocean. It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We’ve never fully lived up to this sacred idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either. And I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.”
Biden called serving the American people the "privilege of my life," acknowledging his "modest" upbringing in the letter. The president is also scheduled to address the nation live from the Oval Office Wednesday (January 15) night at 8:00 p.m. ET, which will be broadcast by most major networks.