After half a century in politics, Biden will bid farewell in an Oval Office address

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Acts at the Lyndon B. Johnson presidential library in Austin, Texas, on July 29, 2024. Brendan Smialowski/AFP hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP

President Biden is set to deliver a farewell speech to the nation from the Oval Office tonight — a chance for him to frame his own legacy one last time before he leaves the White House.

Biden, 82, has spent roughly half a century in Washington politics, and had hoped for another four years at the White House. On Monday, he will be succeeded by Donald Trump — a leader Biden had vowed to make a one-term president.

Biden ran for president insisting the soul of the nation was at stake. That's still the case, Biden said today in a letter to the American public. "History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands."

The president's approval rating remains underwater as he leaves office. But as he bids farewell, he's trying to remind people of the gains made on wages, inflation, manufacturing, prescription drugs and health insurance.

Watch Biden's farewell address live at 8 p.m. ET: