PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 29: U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris wave to members of the audience after speaking at a campaign rally at Girard College on May 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Biden and Harris are using today's rally to launch a nationwide campaign to court black voters, a group that has traditionally come out in favor of Biden, but their support is projected lower than it was in 2020. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Joe Biden made a sudden decision to finish his run for re-election marking the end of his long political career and causing uncertainty in the White House race just months before Election Day.
Biden, aged 81 was unable to change the increasing belief in his party that he was too weak to lead and bound to lose to Donald Trump in November. He supported Vice President Kamala Harris to take over as the Democratic nominee.
In a letter to X, Biden stated that although he planned to run for reelection, he believes it is better for his party and the country if he steps aside and focuses on his duties as president. “I will provide more information about my decision when I address the nation later this week.”
In his letter, Biden expressed gratitude to Harris for being an exceptional partner and went on to publicly endorse her in the following message.
Biden posted that his first act as the party nominee for 2020 was choosing Kamala Harris as his vice president. “It was the greatest choice I’ve ever made.” Today, I am excited to express my complete support and recommendation for Kamala to become the nominee of our party in the upcoming election.
Biden and Harris had numerous conversations on Sunday before the president’s announcement, as reported by a source close to the campaign.
In a statement, Harris expressed gratitude to Biden for his exceptional leadership and his impressive track record of accomplishments.
Harris expressed gratitude for the president’s endorsement and stated her goal to earn and secure the nomination. She stated that she would use all her efforts to bring together the Democratic Party and the nation to oppose Donald Trump and his radical Project 2025 plan.
Biden had been publicly stating his intention to remain in the race for weeks but informed his senior team at 1:45 p.m. that he had decided to stop his campaign. ET, as reported by a source with firsthand information. The tweet declaring his choice was posted at 1:46 p.m.
His exit marks the end of a unique career in national politics starting with Richard Nixon’s downfall and ending with Trump’s ascent. He ran for president four times. He served as a senator for 36 years, representing the small state of Delaware. He ascended to the chairmanships of the influential Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees. He held the position of vice president under Barack Obama for a total of eight years.
Responses from politicians immediately started flooding in.
In a post on X, California Gov. Gavin Newsom praised Biden as an exceptional president who has worked tirelessly for the American people and achieved remarkable results.
Newsom, one of the top Biden supporters, stated that he will be remembered as a highly influential and altruistic president in the history books. Newsom has been suggested as a potential Democratic presidential candidate, but he endorsed Harris shortly after the announcement, expressing in a message on X that Harris is the best person to challenge Trump’s negative vision and lead the country in a positive direction.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a well-known Democrat who is often discussed as a potential national candidate, referred to Biden as an “excellent public official” in a post on X.
Whitmer stated that her role in the upcoming election will continue to be supporting Democrats and opposing Donald Trump whom she described as a criminal with harmful policies inappropriate for Michigan, such as increasing expenses for families, enforcing a national abortion ban and misusing his presidential authority for personal vendettas.
First lady Jill Biden shared her husband’s announcement again, adding heart emojis. “Until the final moments of the choice that only he could make, she remained encouraging of whatever path he decided on,” Elizabeth Alexander, her communications officer, mentioned.
Republicans on the other side of the aisle criticized the decision and urged him to step down from his position, following a Republican National Convention where numerous speakers criticized the Biden-Harris ticket.
If Joe Biden is unfit to run for president, then he is also unfit to serve as president. House Speaker Mike Johnson stated that he must step down from the position right away.
In a short phone interview with NBC News, Trump responded to Biden’s decision by labeling him “by far the worst president in United States history.”
Trump expressed his lack of surprise at Biden’s decision, stating that Biden never should have been in that position to begin with.
Trump commented that he would have preferred to remain in his basement.
Trump’s campaign stated in a fundraising email that Biden left the race in shame.
Biden’s unprecedented choice to drop out of the race occurred less than a month before his party’s convention and a few months prior to when voters go to the polls. Lyndon B. Johnson, who in the 1960s escalated the Vietnam War and caused division within the Democratic Party, was the most recent sitting president to not seek re-election. Johnson made his announcement in March 1968, which was eight months prior to the election.
Barbara Perry, a professor of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, expressed that they are navigating unfamiliar territory. None of the presidents have withdrawn or passed away so close to the convention.
Replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee is expected to cause shaking within the party as ambitious politicians jockey to take his place. Groups have already been established supporting Harris, Whitmer, and Newsom.
Harris, 22 years younger than Biden at the age of 59, appears to be the likely successor. She shattered a barrier by becoming the first female vice president. A woman who is non-white is well supported by African Americans, a dedicated part of the Democratic alliance. In general, Harris’ approval rating was just 32% in a recent NBC News poll.
Perry said there is currently no one identifiable to serve as a direct replacement. “This is why it’s so unpredictable and disordered.”
The Chair of the Democratic National Committee, Jaime Harrison stated that the Party will follow a transparent and organized procedure in the near future to unite as a Democratic Party with a candidate capable of defeating Donald Trump in the November election. The procedure will be controlled by the party’s set guidelines and protocols. Our representatives are ready to fulfill their duty by promptly presenting a candidate to the American public.
The process of adding a new name to ballots also raises numerous legal concerns. Republicans might try to hinder the nominee by initiating legal disputes to prevent them from being included on the ballot.
Johnson, who is the House speaker, mentioned in an interview on CNN Sunday prior to Biden’s announcement that he believes there are legal obstacles in certain states that will need to be resolved in court.
“He mentioned that they have a genuine issue.”
Many prominent lawmakers, such as Reps. Clyburn, Raskin, Ocasio-Cortez, Schiff, and Swalwell and Sens. Warren, Coons, Murphy and Kelly eventually supported Harris after Biden initially received backing from several of them.
Rep. Steven Horsford, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Rep. Gregory Meeks chair of the group’s PAC expressed their full support for Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee alongside Biden.
I am certain that I will exclusively work for Kamala Harris! Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas, stated this in an X post shortly before Biden supported Harris. “If it’s not her, then have fun during campaign season.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono a Democrat from Hawaii, mentioned that she is excited to use all her influence to help her get elected as the next president and continue the progress made in the past four years.
Pete Buttigieg, who campaigned for president in 2020, also expressed his support for Harris by stating, “I am committed to doing everything possible to assist in her election.”
Former President Barack Obama did not offer his endorsement to Harris right away. In the upcoming days, we will be exploring unknown territories. He expressed strong faith in the ability of our party’s leaders to develop a process that produces an exceptional nominee, according to a statement he made.
Harris’s new campaign quickly energized Democratic donors, who contributed small amounts of money. ActBlue the primary online fundraising platform for Democrats, revealed that groups utilizing it collected $27.5 million within the initial five hours of her campaign. Not all of the funds went to Harris, but most likely a large portion of them did.
The argument led to demands for Biden to drop out of the race.
Concerns about Biden’s abilities haunted him during his time as president but became most intense after his debate with Trump on June 27. His party grew alarmed that he wouldn’t win in November due to his declining poll numbers and lackluster performance.
Biden spoke in a raspy voice and struggled to articulate a clear reason for voters to pick him over Trump in front of an audience of 51 million people. Later, he blamed his lackluster performance on being tired and having a cold. He begged the nation not to allow his achievements in office to be overshadowed by one unfortunate night.
Democratic lawmakers, still not convinced, started urging him to resign, with a rebellion that escalated gradually in size and intensity. Thirty-seven Democratic members of Congress, along with independent Senator Joe Manchin, who was formerly a member of the Democratic Party, urged Biden to withdraw from the 2024 election before he announced his decision on Sunday afternoon.
Biden’s leaving is the most recent of many surprising events that have created chaos in the 2024 presidential election, the most tumultuous in recent history. Trump managed to secure the Republican presidential nomination effortlessly, even though he had to juggle his time between the campaign trail and multiple courtrooms where he faced charges in both criminal and civil suits. In May, a Manhattan jury found him guilty of 34 felony charges linked to hush money payments to a porn star.
Soon after, Trump quickly recovered. On July 1, the Supreme Court delivered a long awaited decision that shielded Trump from legal repercussions for his actions as president, hindering special counsel Jack Smith’s attempts to charge Trump for his involvement in the 2020 election.
Trump came close to death on July 13 while attending a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A shooter on a rooftop 130 yards away shot a bullet that barely touched his ear. Trump fell to the floor to protect himself. Next with blood covering his face, he stood up and confidently raised his fist while shouting “Fight!”
Two days later, another lucky occurrence happened aligning with the start of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, which confirmed Trump’s nomination. A case brought by Smith accusing Trump of unlawfully keeping classified documents taken from the White House in 2021 was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida. Cannon assigned by Trump declared Smith’s appointment unauthorized. Smith promptly challenged her decision.
The continuous flow of news provided Trump with a surge of momentum enabling Republicans to display a revitalized and cohesive presence at the upcoming convention.
A survey by AP-NORC published on July 17, revealed that a staggering 65% of Democrats thought Biden should drop out of the race.
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