Biden, 81, to address the nation on his decision to end 2024 bid as polls show Kamala Harris and Trump locked in a tight battle

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President Joe Biden will address the nation from the White House tonight at 8 p.m. to explain the reasons for his extraordinary decision to withdraw from the 2024 race.

The 81-year-old was seen for the first time in six days when he returned to Washington DC from his beachside home in Delaware as Kamala Harris campaigned to drum up voter support.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues his campaign with a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address Congress in a speech that has caused controversy on Capitol Hill.

Follow DailyMail.com’s US politics blog for all the updates from Washington DC and the rest of the country.

The shift in momentum in the polls

The vice president has taken the lead nationally over her Republican rival after winning enough delegates to be named the Democratic nominee at the party’s convention in Chicago next month.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Harris ahead of Trump by 2 points in a head-to-head general election race, as she takes over the campaign in place of the ailing 81-year-old Biden.

This follows a series of other polls conducted after Biden suspended his campaign.

Trump had a narrow lead over Harris in polls, but speculation arose that Biden would not be on the list of candidates.

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Inside the Little Indian Where Kamala Harris Has Roots

People drive past a billboard featuring U.S. Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris at an intersection in Thulasendrapuram village, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. The lush green village is the birthplace of Harris' maternal grandfather who migrated from there decades ago. The billboard in Tamil reads: "From Thulasendrapuram to America we wish the American candidate for the vice-presidency, Kamala Harris, from the village of Thulasendrapuram, victory in the elections. From the villagers of Thulasendrapuram " (AP photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Villagers celebrate the victory of U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in Painganadu, a village neighboring Thulasendrapuram, the birthplace of Harris' maternal grandfather, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020. Waking up to the news of Kamala Harris' selection as Joe Biden's running mate, overjoyed people in her Indian grandfather's hometown set off fireworks, carry her banners and pray. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Residents hold placards with a portrait of US Democratic Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as they celebrate her victory in the US elections, in her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on November 8, 2020. - Residents set off fireworks at Kamala Harris' ancestral home on November 8, as India celebrated the vice president-elect's victory in the US elections, while others hailed her achievement as historic and a "proud moment" for the country. (Photo by STR/AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
Residents pray for Democratic Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' victory at a temple in her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on November 8, 2020. - Residents set off fireworks at Kamala Harris' ancestral home on November 8, as India celebrated the vice president-elect's victory in the US election, while others heralded her achievement as historic and a "proud moment" for the country. (Photo by STR/AFP) (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
A villager walks past a poster of US Vice President Kamala Harris in her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on July 23, 2024, after she was endorsed for the presidential election in the fall. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP) (Photo by IDREES MOHAMMED/AFP via Getty Images)

Democratic presidential candidate in the making Kamala Harris is celebrated in her parental home in the southeast India with prayers.

Harris’ grandfather is from Painganadu-Thulasendrapuram village in Tamil Nadu state. On Monday, residents of the area held a special prayer service at the Dharma Sastha temple.

These services will continue until November 5, election day. ‘We are very happy that PV Gopalan’s granddaughter Kamala Harris is likely to be the US presidential candidate,’ said a local resident told The Deccan Herald.

‘We have organised special poojas to pray that she gets the nomination and eventually wins the Donald Trump‘, they added. A pooja is a Hindu worship ritual.

There are no relatives left in the area, the temple priest said The Hindu, confirming that the last of her family left “several decades ago.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray to be questioned over Trump’s murder

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Members of Congress are expected to demand answers from FBI Director Chris Wray about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

This comes just days after former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was forced to resign after she referred the matter to the FBI during another congressional hearing earlier this week.

Now it’s Wray’s turn and it’s unlikely to go smoothly.

The Judiciary Committee hearing is expected to focus on both the shooting at the protest in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the “continued politicization” of the FBI.

Biden seen for first time in six days… and asked if he’s backing out

The 81-year-old has not been seen since his shock announcement on Sunday that he was pulling out of the race, a fact that has sparked wild conspiracy theories.

The last time he appeared was last Wednesday — when he slowly exited Air Force One in Dover to go into isolation after being diagnosed with COVID. Only his voice was heard during a phone call to his old campaign office on Monday.

On Tuesday, he stepped out of his SUV wearing a mask, told reporters he was “fine” and then slowly walked to the steps of Air Force One to return to Washington, D.C., for the first time since his 2024 candidacy ended.

“Watch and listen. Why don’t you wait and listen to what I say,” he said when asked what his message would be during his speech on Wednesday night.

But when asked why he was dropping out of the presidential race, Biden laughed and walked away, donning his aviator sunglasses and climbing into the Beast.

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The view from Air Force One as Biden was rushed to isolation

By Emily Goodin, Senior White House Correspondent

Air Force One was flying so fast that I was shaking in my seat.

Now we joined him on a crazy return journey of Las Vegas to the Bidens’ Rehoboth Beach outing in Delaware.

Moments after I fastened my seat belt, the massive engines of the presidential Boeing 747 began to roar.

The flight attendants, dressed in their special blue uniforms, staggered through the aisles as the nose of the plane pointed upward.

Tables shook. Reporters held up their water glasses so they wouldn’t spill.

But the most disturbing thing was that we had no idea what was going on.

For security reasons, there was no Wi-Fi on Air Force One and we were cut off from the outside world.

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Major updates

  • Inside the Little Indian Where Kamala Harris Has Roots

  • The shift in momentum in the polls