Joe Biden spent his final full day as president Sunday in South Carolina, urging Americans to "keep the faith in a better day to come" and reflecting on the impact of the civil rights movement in pushing him into politics.

On the eve of Monday's inauguration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump, Biden delivered a final farewell from a state that holds special meaning after his commanding win in its 2020 Democratic primary set him up to achieve his life's goal of being elected president of the United States. Biden spoke to the congregation of Royal Missionary Baptist Church about why he entered public service " Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were political heroes, he said " and he thanked South Carolina for its support: "I owe you big." Monday is the federal holiday honouring King, the slain civil rights leader. "We know the struggle to redeeming the soul of this nation is difficult and ongoing," Biden said. "We must hold on to hope. We must stay engaged. We must always keep the faith in the better day to come." He added: "I'm not going anywhere" " and the congregation applauded. Before the service, as hostages started to be released under a Middle East ceasefire that the US helped broker, Biden said "the guns in Gaza have gone silent." The agreement to halt the fighting between Israel and Hamas was one he had outlined in May. "Now it falls on the next administration to help implement this deal. I was pleased to have our team speak as one voice in the final days," Biden said. He noted that the three hostages released Sunday "appear to be in good health" and he offered some advice to Trump on maintaining the hard-won deal.