President Joe Biden is bidding farewell to his time in office and called his 50-year-long political career the greatest privilege of his life.
In a letter from the White House released Wednesday, Biden said the U.S. “stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities” four years ago when he became president, adding that Americans came together and “braved through it.”
“Four years ago, we stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities,” Biden said, “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. But we came together as Americans, and we braved through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous, and more secure.”
According to Biden, during his time in office his administration created 16.6 million new jobs, lowered inflation, shrank the racial wealth gap, lowered the cost of prescription medications for seniors, put in the “most significant” climate law, and gun safety laws – adding the violent crime rate in the U.S. is now at a 50-year low.
“I ran for president because I believed that the soul of America was at stake,” Biden said, “The very nature of who we are was at stake. And that’s still the case. 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.”
In a detailed summary of progress made by his administration, which was prepared by Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden touted his accomplishments during his time in office.
This included a “historic recovery” of the economy; “ending the COVID-19 pandemic” by vaccinating over 230 million Americans and donating almost 700 million vaccines to other countries; and ending “the longest war in American history” when he pulled troops out of Afghanistan, which resulted in the Taliban immediately re-taking control.
Further down the extensive list, it states the Biden administration further worked towards building “lasting peace in the Middle East,” despite violence erupting in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian terror-group Hamas in 2021 and then again in 2023.
Biden concluded his letter by saying he had given his heart and soul to his nation, and that he has the love and support of the American people.
“It has been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years … I have given my heart and my soul to our nation. And I have been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people,” Biden said, “History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. We just have to keep the faith and remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there is simply nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.”
