Biden urges Americans to 'keep the faith' as he spends final full day as president in South Carolina

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — 

Joe Biden spent his last afloat time arsenic president Sunday successful South Carolina, urging Americans to "keep the religion successful a amended time to come" and reflecting connected the interaction of the civilian rights question successful pushing him into politics.

On the eve of Monday's inauguration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump, Biden delivered a last farewell from a authorities that holds peculiar meaning aft his commanding triumph successful its 2020 Democratic superior acceptable him up to execute his life's extremity of being elected president of the United States.

Biden spoke to the congregation of Royal Missionary Baptist Church astir wherefore helium entered nationalist work — Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were governmental heroes, helium said — and helium thanked South Carolina for its support: "I beryllium you big." Monday is the national vacation honoring King, the slain civilian rights leader.

"We cognize the conflict to redeeming the psyche of this federation is hard and ongoing," Biden said. "We indispensable clasp connected to hope. We indispensable enactment engaged. We indispensable ever support the religion successful the amended time to come."

He added: "I'm not going anywhere" — and the congregation applauded.

Before the service, arsenic hostages started to beryllium released nether a Middle East ceasefire that the U.S. helped broker, Biden said "the guns successful Gaza person gone silent." The statement to halt the warring betwixt Israel and Hamas was 1 helium had outlined successful May.

"Now it falls connected the adjacent medication to assistance instrumentality this deal. I was pleased to person our squad talk arsenic 1 dependable successful the last days," Biden said.

He noted that the 3 hostages released Sunday "appear to beryllium successful bully health" and helium offered immoderate proposal to Trump connected maintaining the hard-won deal.

"Success is going to necessitate persistence, and continuing enactment for our friends successful the portion and the content successful diplomacy backed by deterrence," Biden said.

After Biden spoke connected the ceasefire, helium and archetypal woman Jill Biden took their seats successful the beforehand pew astatine the church. At slightest respective 100 congregants sang gospel songs, rising to their feet and swaying and clapping. A choir led the philharmonic selections from down the pulpit earlier the programme aboriginal shifted to absorption connected King.

Biden was introduced by Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., a cardinal state who referred to the president arsenic his "longtime friend." Clyburn cited a fig of presidents who were underappreciated during their clip successful bureau but are present looked connected much fondly with the transition of time. He added Biden to that list.

"So I privation to accidental to you, bully friend, precise small appreciation has been shown precocious but faint not. History volition beryllium precise arrogant of you," Clyburn said.

The Bidens besides volition circuit the International African American Museum successful South Carolina. It was built connected a waterfront tract wherever tens of thousands of enslaved Africans were brought to the U.S. from the precocious 1760s done 1808, according to the museum's website.

Back successful 2020, Biden saw his run flounder aft helium mislaid the opening contests successful New Hampshire, Iowa and Nevada. But astatine the 4th stop, South Carolina — wherever Black voters marque up a bulk of the Democratic electorate — helium was lifted to triumph aft Clyburn's endorsement.

"I cognize Joe. We cognize Joe. But astir importantly, Joe knows us," Clyburn said astatine the time.

After winning predetermination and taking office, Biden pushed for South Carolina to determination to the caput of the enactment and beryllium the authorities that opened the Democratic Party's nominating process for 2024, alternatively of New Hampshire. He easy won the state's superior that year.

"In 2020, it was the voters of South Carolina who proved the pundits wrong, breathed caller beingness into our campaign, and acceptable america connected the way to winning the presidency," Biden said successful a connection aft winning the superior for the 2nd time. "Now successful 2024, the radical of South Carolina person spoken again and I person nary uncertainty that you person acceptable america connected the way to winning the Presidency again — and making Donald Trump a loser — again."

It didn't crook retired that way. After faltering successful a statement against Trump, Biden dropped retired of the contention nether unit from galore Democrats, though Clyburn notably was not among them.

Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced him arsenic the Democrats' nominee. She mislaid to Trump.

Clyburn said Biden told him helium wanted to sojourn the African American past museum, which Clyburn helped start. They were readying to walk immoderate clip unneurotic there.

"This is his mode of saying 'thank you,'" Clyburn said.