THE PRESIDENT: My fellow Americans, I am speaking to you tonight from the Oval Office.
Before I begin, let me speak to important news from earlier today. After eight months of nonstop negotiation, my administration — by my administration, a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas, the elements of which I laid out in great detail in May of this year.
This plan was developed and negotiated by my team and will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That’s why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that’s how it should be: working together as Americans.
This will be my final address to you — the American people from the Oval Office, from this desk as president. And I’ve been thinking a lot about who we are and, maybe more importantly, who we should be.
Long ago, in New York Harbor, an ironworker installed beam after beam, day after day. He was joined by steelworkers, stone masons, engineers. They built not just a single structure but a beacon of freedom.
The very idea of America was so big, we felt the entire world needed to see — the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France after our Civil War. Like the very idea of America, it was built not by one person but by many people, from every background and from around the world.
Like America, the Statue of Liberty is not standing still.
Her foot literally steps forward atop a broken chain of human bondage. She’s on the march, and she literally moves. She was built to sway back and forth to withstand the fury of stormy weather, to stand the test of time, because storms are always coming. She sways a few inches, but she never falls into the current below — an engineering marvel.
The Statue of Liberty is also an enduring symbol of the soul of our nation, a soul shaped by forces that bring us together and by forces that pull us apart. And yet, through good times and tough times, we’ve withstood it all.
A nation of pioneers and explorers, of dreamers and doers, of ancestors native to this land, of ancestors who came by force, a nation of immigrants who came to build a better life,
a nation holding the torch of the most powerful idea ever in the history of the world that all of us — all of us are created equal. That all of us deserve to be treated with dignity, justice and fairness. That democracy must defend and be defined and be imposed, moved in every way possible. Our rights, our freedoms, our dreams.
But we know the idea of America — our institution, our people, our values that uphold it — are constantly being tested. Ongoing debates about power and the exercise of power, about whether we lead by the example of our power or the power of our example, whether we show the courage to stand up to the abuse of power or we yield to it.
After 50 years at the center of all of this, I know that believing in the idea of America means respecting the institutions that govern a free society: the presidency, the Congress, the courts, a free and independent press. Institutions that are rooted not just to reflect the timeless words, but they echo the words of the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” Rooted in the timeless words of the Constitution, “We the People.”
Our system of separation of powers, checks and balances, it may not be perfect, but it’s maintained our democracy for nearly 250 years — longer than any other nation in history that’s ever tried such a bold experiment.
In the past four years, our democracy has held strong. And every day, I’ve kept my commitment to be president for all Americans through one of the toughest periods in our nation’s history.
I’ve had a great partner in Vice President Kamala Harris.
It’s been the honor of my life to see the resilience of essential workers getting us through a once-in-a-century pandemic, the heroism of service members and first responders keeping us safe, the determination of advocates standing up for our rights and our freedoms.
Instead of losing their jobs to an economic crisis that we inherited, millions of Americans now have the dignity of work; millions of entrepreneurs and companies creating new businesses and industries, hiring American workers, using American products.
And together, we’ve launched a new era of American possibilities — one of the greatest modernizations of infrastructure in our entire history, from new roads, bridges, clean water, affordable high-speed internet for every American.
We invented the semiconductor — smaller than the tip of my little finger. And now it’s bringing those chip factories and those jobs back to America where they belong, creating thousands of jobs.
Finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for millions of seniors.
And finally doing something to protect our children and our families by passing the most significant gun safety law in 30 years and bringing violent crime to a 50-year low.
Meeting our sacred obligation to over 1 million veterans so far who were exposed to toxic materials, and to their families — providing medical care and education benefits and more for their families.
You know, it will take time to feel the full impact of all we’ve done together. But the seeds are planted, and they’ll grow and they’ll bloom for decades to come.
At home, we’ve created nearly 17 million new jobs — more than any other single administration in a single term.
More people have health care than ever before.
And overseas, we’ve strengthened NATO. Ukraine is still free. And we’ve pulled ahead of our competition with China. And so much more.
I’m so proud of how much we’ve accomplished together for the American people. And I wish the incoming administration success, because I want America to succeed.
That’s why I’ve upheld my duty to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power to ensure we lead by the power of our example. I have no doubt that America is in a position to continue to succeed.
Find the full video of President Biden’s farewell speech here: FULL SPEECH: President Joe Biden’s farewell address to the nation