President Joe Biden plans to deliver two major speeches before leaving office as part of an effort to outline what he sees as key parts of his legacy from more than 50 years in public service, according to two people familiar with the plans.
The first speech is set to focus on foreign policy and is expected to be delivered sometime after Biden returns on Jan. 12 from a trip to Italy, these people said. They said Biden then plans to close out his final days in the White House with a farewell address to the country.
Neither speech has been fully drafted, the sources familiar with the president’s plans said, but the contours and themes of both have been developed.
In his farewell address, Biden is expected to offer a message to Americans for the future and reflect on his decades in public office, including his four years in the White House, according to the people familiar with the president’s plans.
The traditional address is expected to channel a similar spirit to the parting sentiments offered by some of Biden’s recent predecessors, including former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, who delivered their farewell speeches from the White House, and former President Barack Obama, who opted to speak to the nation from his hometown of Chicago in front of a large audience of supporters.
After losing the 2020 election, President-elect Donald Trump posted a pre-recorded video message online the day before Biden was sworn in to office.
Biden’s foreign policy speech is set to focus on his belief that America is stronger when it invests in its alliances across the world, according to the people familiar with the president’s speeches. Biden is expected to highlight his efforts to broaden and strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and U.S. relations in the Indo-Pacific, as well as his administration’s military and financial support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
It’s unclear how much the speech might touch on Biden’s decision to order the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which has been widely criticized and resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members.
Biden is likely to reference his administration’s efforts to combat terrorist groups, including ISIS, but the speech is not expected to dwell on domestic terrorism threats following the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, the people familiar with the president’s plans said.
The administration is looking at additional steps it could take before Biden leaves office to try to help prevent attacks driven by homegrown radicalization, a person familiar with the discussions said.
The president is planning for a busy final two weeks in office. He’s scheduled to travel on Monday to New Orleans to meet with family members of victims of the attack there, as well as local officials. He will then visit California to highlight his record on the environment, including new designations of national monuments.
On Thursday, Biden is scheduled to travel to Rome and Vatican City for a three-day visit, likely his final international travel in office.
And before leaving the White House on Jan. 20, the president is expected to issue additional pardons, specifically focused on sentencing disparities, a person familiar with the plans said. This person said Biden has not decided whether to pre-emptively pardon people who could be targeted by the new Trump administration for retribution, though Biden would not pardon anyone who does not want to receive clemency.
