Former President Barack Obama offered words of praise for President Joe Biden after he delivered his farewell address from the Oval Office.
Biden, 82, will leave office Monday after a presidency that saw a myriad of challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East.
Biden used his farewell address to issue several warnings and to thank friends and family for their support, and Obama praised the president as a leader with character in a time of crisis.
“Four years ago, in the middle of a pandemic, we needed a leader with the character to put politics aside and do what was right. That’s what Joe Biden did,” he said.
Obama went on to praise Biden’s work while in office, citing the president’s work in combating climate change and bolstering the country’s infrastructure.
“At a time when our economy was reeling, he drove what would become the world’s strongest recovery – with 17 million new jobs, historic wage gains, and lower health care costs,” he said. “He passed landmark legislation to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure and address the threat of climate change.”
The former president finished his salute to Biden by expressing gratitude for his friendship over the years.
“I’m grateful to Joe for his leadership, his friendship, and his lifetime of service to this country we love,” he said.
Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, serving for 36 years in that body and serving as the chair of the Judiciary Committee for eight years.
Biden unsuccessfully ran for president in 1988 and again in 2008, and after the latter campaign he was chosen as Obama’s running mate. He then served as vice president for eight years but declined to run for president in 2016 shortly after the death of his son Beau.
Biden would run for president again in 2020, this time winning the Democratic Party’s nomination and defeating President Donald Trump in the November election.
Biden ran for president again in 2024, but dropped out of the race in mid-July amid concerns over his age and health. Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the party’s nominee, but was defeated by Trump in the Nov. 2024 election.
Biden used his farewell address to thank the American people for their support during his presidency, but also included several dire warnings, including his concern about the influence of billionaires over the politics of the U.S., calling it an “oligarchy taking shape” in the country.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” he said.
Biden also criticized the removal of fact-checking from social media platforms like Facebook, saying it would lead to “the truth (being) smothered by lies.”
Biden will leave the presidency on Monday at 11 a.m. Central time, with Trump set to take the oath of office in Washington to return to the White House as the second president to serve non-consecutive terms.
