Biden will address the nation on decision to abandon re-election bid

President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Biden is returning to the White House from his Rehoboth Beach home after recovering from a COVID-19 infection. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening about his decision to abandon his 2024 Democratic re-election bid.

Biden posted on X that he would speak “about what lies ahead” and how he will “get the job done for the American people.” He will speak at 8 p.m. ET.

READ: Kamala Harris Leads Trump in New Poll After Biden Dropout

He declined to preview his message after returning to Washington, telling reporters to “watch and listen.”

“Why don’t you wait a moment and listen to what I say?” he said.

The president left Delaware shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday after nearly a week of isolation at his Rehoboth Beach home following his second bout of COVID-19. Biden has now tested negative for the virus and his symptoms have resolved, according to a letter from his doctor, Kevin O’Connor, released Tuesday.

Holding a blue paper mask, he told reporters that “I feel good,” but did not answer other questions, such as whether Vice President Kamala Harris can defeat Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Biden has not been seen in public since July 17, but he gathered for a campaign rally on Monday to address staff and voice his support for Harris’ bid to replace him, a day after announcing his withdrawal from the race.