Insisting that “the defense of democracy is more important than any title,” President Joe Biden on Wednesday explained in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and to throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden said he ended his 2024 bid because "I revere this office, but I love my country more." The address offered the public their first chance to hear directly from Biden his rationale for dropping out of the 2024 race after weeks of insisting he believed himself to be the best candidate to take on former President Donald Trump, whom he has called an existential threat to the nation's democracy. It also gave Biden a chance to try to shape how history views his one and only term in office.