Biden urges Americans to stay 'engaged': 'I'm not going anywhere'
President Biden on Sunday vowed that he’s “not going anywhere” even as he exits the Oval Office, urging Americans to “stay engaged” in remarks on his last trip as commander in chief.
“We know the struggle for redeeming the soul of this nation is difficult and ongoing. The distance is short between peril and possibility. But faith – faith teaches us the America of our dreams is always closer than we think,” Biden said during a service at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, S.C.
“We must hold on to hope. We must stay engaged. Must always keep the faith in a better day to come. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not kidding,” Biden said to applause.
The trip to South Carolina, where he took part in the service honoring Martin Luther King Jr. ahead of the Monday holiday, marked Biden’s last as president. He reportedly picked the Palmetto State for the visit after it helped propel him to victory in 2020.
“I’ve always heard before, ‘We’ve come too far from where we started. Nobody told me the road would be easy.’ I don’t believe — I don’t believe He brought me this far to leave me,” Biden said.
The White House is set to change hands at noon on Monday, as President-elect Trump is inaugurated in the Capitol Rotunda.
Though Biden has committed to a peaceful transfer of power, he's cautioned that Trump poses a threat to democracy. The outgoing president's final official address to the nation last week contained a stark warning about a rising oligarchy "of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy."
Early Monday, Biden granted pardons to prominent public servants who have faced attacks from Trump.