U.S. President Joe Biden. Photo:Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS
On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden returned to the White House for the first time since announcing his exit from the re-election race. He is set to deliver a speech from the Oval Office on Wednesday, addressing “what’s next and how I will finish my work for the American people.”
Since last Wednesday, Biden has been at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on the Atlantic coast. There, he isolated due to Covid-19 and announced his exit from the race in a letter he wrote on Sunday.
Biden’s return to the White House coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington. According to a U.S. official, Biden will meet with Netanyahu on Thursday. It is expected that they will discuss ways to establish a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Iran, and other issues.
This meeting will be Biden’s first with a foreign leader since announcing his withdrawal from the re-election race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s candidate. Netanyahu will also address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, chaired by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin in the absence of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be in Indianapolis for a previously scheduled event. Harris is set to meet with Netanyahu later this week at the White House.
During her meeting with Netanyahu, Harris will emphasize the need to end the conflict in Gaza in a manner that ensures Israel’s security, the release of all hostages, the end of suffering for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and the right of the Palestinian people to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.
According to Politico, Netanyahu has also requested a meeting with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, but the former president has not yet agreed.
President Joe Biden will also address the nation on Wednesday for the first time since withdrawing his candidacy for a second term. Biden wrote on platform X on Tuesday that his Oval Office address will be about “what’s next and how I will finish my work for the American people.” The speech is scheduled for 8:00 PM on Wednesday.
