President Biden to Deliver Farewell Address to America

President Joe Biden will deliver a farewell address from the Oval Office on Wednesday, just five days before leaving office. The White House said the address would begin at 8 p.m. ET.

The tradition of farewell addresses by the outgoing president dates back to President George Washington. Washington delivered his farewell via a written letter in 1796. President Thomas Jefferson also wrote a farewell letter to America in 1837. Both presidents had their letters published in newspapers.

It would not be until 1953 that a president would give a formal goodbye to Americans. President Harry Truman gave his farewell address from the Oval Office on Jan. 15, 1953, five days before he left office.

I think I would have beaten Trump, could’ve beaten Trump,” President Biden said. And I think that Kamala could’ve beaten Trump and would’ve beat trump. It wasn’t about, uh. I thought it was important to unify the party. And when the party was worried about whether or not I was going to be able to move, even though I thought I could win again, I thought it was better to unify the party. It was the greatest honor of my life to be president of the United States but I didn’t want to be one who caused a party that wasn’t unified to lose an election and that’s why I stepped aside but I was confident she could win.”

President Biden leaves office after being the first president not to seek a second full term since President Lyndon B. Johnson.