US President Joe Biden says he ended his re-election bid to unite his party and his country - "There's a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices and yes, younger voices," he says
In a rare televised address from the Oval Office, he says it's time to "pass the torch to a new generation" adding that "personal ambition" cannot get in the way of "saving our democracy"
Biden stepped aside as the Democratic candidate for November's election and endorsed his Vice-President Kamala Harris on Sunday, following weeks of pressure after his disastrous debate against Donald Trump
Meanwhile, Trump held his first rally since Biden dropped out and told supporters the president quit "because he was losing" in the polls
Key moments from Biden's primetime address
Biden says when he started his run for the White House, he promised to always "level with you". He notes that over the last few weeks he knew he had to unite the Democratic party.
He says while he wanted to carry forward toward a second term to continue the work he'd started, "nothing" can come in "the way of saving our democracy and that includes personal ambition".
Biden pledges to Americans that for the next six months, "I'll be focused on doing my job as president."
He lists his goals, mentioning climate change, gun violence, and several other topics that had been part of his political stump speeches.
He says he will stand up "from the right to vote, to the right to choose".
"I'll keep calling out hate and extremism, making clear there is no place in America for political violence, or any violence, period."
He also pledges to work towards ending the war in Gaza and bringing home Americans held in prisons around the world.
Biden has vowed to tell the American people "the truth" - which is that "the sacred cause" of the US is "larger than any one of us".
"I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future, all merited a second term. But nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy," he said. "That includes personal ambition."
The best way forward, he said, is "to pass the torch to a new generation".
"That's the best way to unite our nation. There's a time and a place for long years of experience in public life," he said. "There's also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices and yes, younger voices."
"And that time and place is now," he added.
"America is at an inflection point," Biden says, adding, "the decision we make now will determine the fate of the nation".
"We have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, unity and division."
President Biden has begun his remarks at the White House, speaking from behind the Resolute Desk at the Oval Office.
He's surrounded by portraits of "extraordinary" Americans, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and others.
"I revere this office, but I love my country more. It's been the honour of my life to serve this country as President."
Biden added that "this sacred task of perfecting our union" is about Americans and their families.
"We can never forget that, and I never have."
President Biden has started his Oval Office address to the nation following his decision to end his re-election bid.
Watch his remarks above by clicking "Watch Live" above.
We're moments away from President Biden's televised address from the Oval Office, which is scheduled for 20:00 local time here in Washington DC.
A reminder that you can watch it live by pressing the button at the top of this page.
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent in Washington
Joe Biden’s work to define his political legacy begins tonight.
The president’s stunning letter on Sunday announcing he was abandoning his re-election campaign was heavy on accomplishment-touting but light on explanation.
This Oval Office address is his next, possibly best, chance to explain why he threw in the towel.
If he dodges, Republicans will happily do the explaining for him. They are already questioning whether the president is still fit to serve for the remainder of the term if he is not up to the rigours of campaigning – and whether Democrats conspired to cover up his shortcomings.
If Biden delivers a compelling speech, it could go a long way toward framing his decision as one of political altruism, rather than the too-late move of a man who risked his party and his nation by selfishly holding on to power.
Biden also has the opportunity to give another boost to Kamala Harris’ nascent campaign before an audience of millions. His endorsement on Sunday helped her consolidate support. Now he can further make the case that she will be a safe pick for Americans who are wary of Donald Trump’s politics.
The president will almost certainly have another opportunity to tout his vice-president at the Democratic National Convention next month. But now – as she begins defining herself to American voters – is a particularly pivotal moment.
In the end, Harris’s success or failure in November, more than anything the Biden says tonight, will determine how history views this president.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
Image source, ReutersPresident Biden will tell Americans that “the best way forward” is to “pass the torch to a new generation”, explaining his historic decision to step aside as the Democratic candidate in this November's election.
The Oval Office address marks his first public remarks since the 21 July announcement, which paved the way for Vice-President Kamala Harris to become the presumptive nominee.
In his speech, Biden will also say that his decision to withdraw “is the best way to unite our nation.
Excerpts of the speech, released in advance by the White House, show Biden will frame his decision as a "defence of democracy".
“I draw strength, and find joy, in working for the American people,” he will say. “But this sacred task of protecting our union is not about me. It’s about you. Your families. Your futures."
Biden will also outline his remaining months as president and explain his decision to see out his term.
“That means I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families and grow our economy,” he will say. “I will keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose.”
You can read more about tonight's speech here.
This is the first time the American public will be hearing live from Biden since he tested positive for Covid-19 and hastily cancelled campaign events last week and posted a letter with his decision to leave the presidential race.
He returned to the White House on Tuesday, after isolating at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
This will be only the fourth time that Biden speaks to the nation from the Oval Office.
He delivered an address 10 days ago after a gunman tried to assassinate Donald Trump.
He also previously has spoken from the Oval Office about the Hamas attack on Israel last year and the passing of a bipartisan budget deal.
Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House
President Biden will give his remarks from the Oval Office.
With less than an hour to go until President Biden's televised remarks from the Oval Office, the White House is abuzz with activity as the world's media prepare.
Just outside the Oval Office, on the White House's famed "Pebble Beach", US and foreign journalists are recording their live shots, previewing tonight's speech.
Besides the US broadcasters, in the last few minutes I've heard broadcasts being filmed in Arabic, Italian, French and Portuguese.
Next door, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, there appears to be an office party of some kind taking place. Several dozen staffers are standing outside talking loudly. It looks like a jovial evening.
I would guess that most of them will head off to listen to the president's speech shortly. Kamala Harris, after all, has an office in the same building.
While Biden is here at the White House, it doesn't appear he's yet in the Oval Office. If he were, a spit-shined US Marine sentry would be standing guard outside the main door.
For now, the door is empty, with only reporters, a few young staffers and black-clad Secret Service agents milling about.
Journalists at "Pebble Beach" on the White House campus.
While Trump continues to hit out at Harris and Biden - especially about Biden's decision to leave the presidential race - Biden is getting ready to address the nation from the Oval Office.
He is expected to explain his decision to drop out of the race and endorse his vice-president.
Stick with us as we bring you the latest updates.
Image source, ReutersDonald Trump is spending much of the rally hitting familiar talking points, criticising the Biden administration for issues including immigration, inflation and crime.
He has even repeated a favourite joke of his about the character Hannibal Lecter from the horror movie The Silence of the Lambs.
But this rally also has a new theme, as Trump has also broadened his attacks to include his likely new opponent Kamala Harris, tying her to many of the criticisms Republicans use against the Democrats.
He is especially focusing on her history as a prosecutor and her work in the White House on the root causes of immigration.
You can continue to watch Trump speak by clicking "Watch live" above.
Image source, ReutersThroughout the night, Trump has pronounced the vice-president's name as "Kuh-MAL-uh".
It's worth noting that her first name is actually pronounced "Comma-la" or, for our readers outside the US, "KAH-mala". That's according to Harris herself, who has offered guidance on the pronounciation in her memoir and in interviews for years.
It's not clear why Trump, who has a famously idiosyncratic style of speaking, is referring to her with the incorrect pronunciation. Trump was also fan of repeating Harris's name - incorrectly pronounced - at rallies during the 2020 campaign.
Such discussions of Harris's name fit into a larger trend among Republicans. Mispronunciations of her name were so prevalent in speeches at last week's Republican National Convention, the Washington Post put together a tracker, external.
When pressed by reporters, some Republican leaders, like New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu at the convention, have said the mispronunciation was an honest mistake. But other Republican figures have bristled at being corrected.
Rachel Looker
US reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesAs the presidential race continues, investigators are still trying to figure out exactly what went wrong earlier this month that allowed a gunman to open fire at a Donald Trump rally, killing one man and injuring three people, including the former president.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that the suspect researched the assassination of John F Kennedy in the days before the shooting.
The gunman also used a firearm with a "collapsible stock", likely making it easier to conceal, Wray said.
Wray said that on 6 July - a week before the shooting - the gunman searched "how far away was Oswald from Kennedy" online and registered for the Trump rally.
Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed President Kennedy in 1963.
Wray says that the agency still does not have a motive for the assassination attempt but the gunman appears to have become "very focused" on Trump a week before the shooting.
Investigators also found the gunman had conducted searches for news articles about other public figures.
Wray said there is no evidence that the gunman planned the attack with others.
You can read more about Wray's testimony here.
Trump is talking now about Biden's decision to drop out of the race and back Harris for president.
"She's much worse than him," he says of Harris, calling Biden a "fake liberal" whereas Harris, he says, is a "real liberal".
He notes the various polls that showed Biden trailing in the polls before he pulled out of the race, and he questions whether another candidate might replace Harris if polls show him beating her.
"Are they going to bring in a third candidate?," he says.
Trump refers to Biden as "the worst president in the history of our country".
"He quit because he was losing so badly," Trump says.
But he then pivots to arguing the Democratic party pushed Biden out of his campaign run, calling it an "undemocratic" move.
Later, he blames Harris for being the "ultra liberal driving force behind every single Biden catastrophe".
He also tell the crowd, "they want me to be nice" after the shooting, but "if you don't mind, I'm not going to be nice" - appearing to reference bipartisan calls to tone down political rhetoric on all sides.
Trump also claims that Harris "shamelessly" lied to the public about Biden's mental fitness.
He then hits out at one of Harris's talking points - that she's a former prosecutor and Trump is a convicted felon.
"I don't think people are going to buy it," Trump says of the strategy.
'Radical left lunatic' - Trump attacks new opponent
Trump is now talking about the attempt on his life earlier this month.
"Nobody ran!" he says of the crowd, even in the face of danger, because "they saw that I was in trouble".
"The whole thing is like a big love fest," he says.
Trump then praises the Secret Service for protecting him.
"Bullets were flying, and they were running right at me", he says of his security detail.
He then pays tribute to the man who was killed at the rally and the two others who were injured.
Donald Trump is criticising Kamala Harris on one of his key policy issues - immigration.
He notes her position at the start of the Biden administration, when the president tasked her with looking into the root causes of migration from a number of countries.
"Kamala threw open our borders" and allowed an influx of migrants, Trump says.
"Everything Kamala touches turns into a total disaster," he adds, laying out the various roles she's also had in foreign relations.
Republicans are already condemning Harris as the president’s “border czar”, attempting to make her the face of what public opinion polls have found is the Biden administration's unpopular immigration policies.