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President Biden delivers final foreign policy speech
President Joe Biden strode into the White House four years ago with a foreign policy agenda that put repairing alliances strained by four years of Republican Donald Trump’s "America First" worldview front and center. The one-term Democrat took office in the throes of the worst global pandemic in a century and his plans were quickly stress-tested by a series of complicated international crises: the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Hamas’ brutal 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in the Middle East.
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden will deliver a farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday, just days before he leaves office and President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
The president's address at 8 p.m. Eastern is set to be his last significant opportunity to speak to Americans and the world before he leaves office at noon on Jan. 20.
Earlier Wednesday, he released a farewell letter saying it had been "the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years."
"Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States," Biden wrote. "I have given my heart and my soul to our nation. And I have been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people."
In an address on Monday, Biden touted his stewardship of American foreign policy and said his administration is leaving the incoming president with a safer and economically more secure country.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech about his foreign policy achievements in the Ben Franklin Room at the State Department's Harry S. Truman headquarters building on Jan. 13, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Joe Biden’s term
Big picture view:
The one-term Democrat took office in the throes of the worst global pandemic in a century, and his plans to repair alliances strained by four years of Trump’s "America First" worldview were quickly stress-tested by several international crises.
Biden argued that he provided a steady hand when the world needed it most. He was tested by war, calamity and miscalculation.
While the end of his term was marred by an abysmal debate performance, constant questions around his mental fitness and dropping out late as the Democratic candidate for the 2024 presidential election, experts and historians believe history will be kinder to Biden than voters have been.
Biden’s notable achievements
Dig deeper:
During his time as president, Biden did have several notable achievements that stimulated the economy during a time of crisis, invested in critical upgrades to the country’s infrastructure and kicked off initiatives to bring crucial jobs back to the U.S.
Some of these achievements include:
American Rescue Plan Act: Coming off one of the most devastating global health crises in years, Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package which provided economic relief to Americans who were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill provided new programs that temporarily halved child poverty, halted evictions and contributed to the addition of millions of jobs.
Infrastructure investment: Although it got whittled down from his original ask of $2.3 trillion, Biden’s hard-fought $1 trillion infrastructure deal kicked off a new infusion of cash for roads, bridges, ports and more is going to make life "change for the better" for the American people.
CHIPS and Science Act: The CHIPS and Science Act provided $52 billion to build factories and create institutions to make computer chips domestically, ensuring that the U.S. would have access to the most advanced semiconductors needed to power economic growth and maintain national security.
Inflation Reduction Act and climate initiatives: In addition to rejoining the Paris Agreement, Biden pledged to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60% by 2030, through the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s administration also took steps toward reducing the cost of prescription drugs for those who are on Medicare.
Biden’s shortcomings
The other side:
Along with his achievements, and like any U.S. president, Biden had several shortcomings during his term as voters felt the sting of inflation and watched two new wars unfold across the globe.
Afghanistan withdrawal: Biden’s administration completed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that resulted in the death of 13 U.S. service members, an effort that was widely criticized.
Border security: The president also faced criticism over his handling of the southern border with Mexico as illegal border crossings soared in the months after Biden took office. His administration’s refusal to use the Title 42 policy further added to the growing number of migrants.
Gaza and Ukraine war: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 worsened inflation as Trump and other Republicans questioned the value of military aid to the Ukrainians.
Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel sparked a war that showed divisions within the Democratic party over whether the U.S. should continue to support Israel as tens of thousands of Palestinians died in months of counterattacks.
Inflation: Despite evident trends that inflation is easing, Americans are still feeling the sting of price and interest rate hikes, leaving critics to argue that the incoming administration will be inheriting more problems than solutions.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from The Associated Press, previous reporting from LiveNOW from FOX, reporting from Forbes, Bloomberg and Barron’s.