Joe Biden’s farewell address on Wednesday: What he’ll say as he prepares to leave office

President Joe Biden will address the nation for the last time on Wednesday evening (January 15), offering his farewell remarks from the Oval Office just five days before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated. The speech, scheduled for 8 pm Eastern time, will mark Biden's final significant opportunity to speak to Americans and the world before his term ends on January 20 at noon.

The farewell address follows Biden’s speech on Monday at the State Department, where he will highlight his foreign policy legacy.

In a separate appearance Friday (January 10) from the Roosevelt Room, Biden reflected on his decision to step aside during the presidential race in 2020.

He faced enormous pressure from Democrats after a challenging debate performance, which led to Kamala Harris entering the race in his place, launching a campaign under immense time constraints.

Biden told reporters, “I think I would have beaten Trump, and I think that Kamala could have — would have beaten Trump.” He continued, “I thought it was important to unify the party. Even though I thought I could win again, I thought it was better to unify the party.”

Addressing the reason behind his decision to step aside, Biden said, “I didn’t want to cause a divided party to lose an election. That’s why I stepped aside. But I was confident she could win.”

Biden's press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, stated earlier Friday that the president would reflect on his "50-plus years as a public official" in his upcoming speech. Jean-Pierre also mentioned that Biden would share his thoughts on "the future, not just of the country, but how this country moves forward as a leader," touching on global events and important global issues.

Biden’s remarks on Wednesday are expected to provide a comprehensive reflection on his presidency and offer a vision for the future as he prepares to hand over the reins to Trump.