President Joe Biden offered his first televised comments about his decision to suspend his reelection campaign in a primetime address delivered on Wednesday,

President Biden spoke to the nation in a primetime address from the Oval Office tonight, three days after dropping his reelection bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement to take on former President Donald Trump this fall.

Biden explained his decision to drop out of the 2024 race, telling the American people that the “defense of democracy is more important than any title.”

“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation,” Biden said. “That is the best way to unite our nation.”

“Over the next six months I will be focused on doing my job as President,” he said, confirming that he plans to remain in office through the end of his term. “That means I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families and grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights — from the right to vote to the right to choose.”