President Biden announced on Sunday that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for my term,” Mr. Biden posted in a statement on social media. He stated that he would address the nation later this week.
Biden Endorses Harris
Shortly after his announcement, President Biden endorsed Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination. He said, “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Former President Donald Trump, who was officially nominated by the Republican party on Thursday night, reacted by telling CNN that Mr. Biden is the “worst president by far in the history of our country,” but added that he thought Harris would be easier to beat than Mr. Biden.
@JoeBiden (Joe Biden) “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.” Twitter. , Jul 21, 2024 https://x.com/JoeBiden/status/1815087772216303933
And if you’re with us, donate to her campaign here:https://t.co/A0T3v7ItQm
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Unprecedented Withdrawal
Never before has a sitting president and presumptive nominee dropped out of the race so late in the process. Mr. Biden’s decision underscores the severity of the crisis that enveloped his campaign after his disastrous debate performance against Trump. In the days following the debate, concerns about the president’s health and mental state, his ability to defeat Trump in November, and his capacity to lead for four more years grew among Democrats.
The pressure to step aside increased as Democratic lawmakers and governors went days without hearing from Mr. Biden, allowing questions about his future to swirl within the party. A growing number of Democrats on Capitol Hill publicly called for him to step aside. Despite his attempts to reassure his supporters, stating, “I’m not going anywhere,” the pressure from top Democrats became insurmountable, leading to his decision to withdraw.
Mr. Biden is the first sitting president eligible for reelection to decline to run again since President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. Only a handful of first-term presidents in American history have not sought a second term, the last being Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880.
A Disastrous Debate
For months, the Biden campaign reassured the public that the president was up to the rigors of leading the free world. However, during the debate on June 27, over 50 million Americans watched Mr. Biden struggle to refute Trump and articulate his policies. Mr. Biden, lacking his teleprompter and notes, lost his train of thought and confused his answers, at one point saying his administration “beat Medicare.” These flubs raised concerns among his party about his fitness to serve.
Before winning the White House in 2020, Mr. Biden referred to himself as a “bridge” to a new “generation of leaders,” causing speculation that he might only serve one term. However, in the aftermath of the debate, he explained that the divisiveness in the country led him to believe only he could defeat Trump. Despite his insistence on staying in the race, pressure from Democrats on Capitol Hill continued to mount, leading to his eventual decision to step aside.
What’s Next?
States have already held their primaries, leaving Democratic delegates — state and local party officials selected during the primaries — to decide who will replace Mr. Biden at the top of the ticket. This decision will likely take place at August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago or beforehand. The convention is scheduled to begin on August 19, and the party affirmed plans to hold a virtual roll call between August 1-7 to formally select a nominee.
How this will unfold remains to be seen, but it presents a logistical challenge for the Democratic party in the weeks ahead.
