Washington, 15 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - US President Joe Biden has thanked Americans for their "love and support" throughout the years, in a heartfelt message published ahead of his official farewell address to the nation on Wednesday evening.

"I have given my heart and my soul to our nation," Biden said in a letter published by the White House. "And I have been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people."

Biden, 82, will hand over to his successor Donald Trump on Monday, after the Republican claimed a resounding victory in November's elections.

Biden, a veteran Democrat, will not only leave the White House after four years at the helm of the world's most powerful democracy but also close the curtain on a long career in politics.

"It has been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years," Biden wrote.

"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," he said.

The White House also sent out a long list of milestones achieved by Biden as president, including a "historic recovery" from the coronavirus pandemic and "growing the economy and lowering costs" during his time in office.

However many Americans will also remember Biden for his insistence on running for a second term, despite long-simmering concerns about his age and mental fitness.

Following a disastrous debate performance, Biden eventually stepped aside just months before the election, allowing Democrats to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as their candidate.

Despite hopes that she might be able to turn things around, Trump comfortably beat Harris in the vote on November 5.

"History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. We just have to keep the faith and remember who we are," Biden wrote at the close of the letter.

MIA file photo