WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential campaign on Sunday, he said in a letter published on social mediacreating an unprecedented vacancy at the top of the Democratic ticket one month before his party was scheduled to officially accept its nomination.
In a follow-up conversation post Less than 30 minutes later, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor as the Democratic candidate.
Biden’s withdrawal came after weeks of pressure from party insiders following a catastrophic Debate appearance on June 27 against GOP candidate and former President Donald Trump.
The move further throws an already unusual presidential campaign into chaos, and it was not immediately clear on Sunday how Democrats would choose a successor to Biden in the November election, although Harris has a good chance of reaching the top of the list of candidates.
Biden praised Harris as an “extraordinary partner” in the administration’s achievements.
Biden, who has been battling a COVID-19 infection in his native Delaware since last week, did not give specific reasons for his resignation but said he believed it was in the best interest of the country.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve you as President,” he wrote in the one-page letter. “And while I plan to run for re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country that I step down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Biden, 81, appeared tender and confused several times throughout the debate, raising concerns among elected Democrats and his party’s voters that he was no longer up to the task of governing or resisting Trump’s attempt to retake the White House.
While several congressional Democrats called on him to drop out of the race, others urged him to step up his public presence and make more impromptu appearances to demonstrate his fitness.
But a more extensive program of interviews, press conferences and campaign events could not silence voices from Democrats who argued that Biden’s candidacy would likely hand victory in the presidential race to Trump – which Biden and others have called an existential threat to U.S. democracy – and severely disadvantage Democrats in other races throughout the November ballot.
On Friday, Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Martin Heinrich from New Mexico The number of senators calling on Biden to withdraw rose to four. A day earlier, Montana Senator Jon Tester had said Biden should abandon his re-election campaign and the Democrats should hold an open nomination process at their convention in Chicago next month.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, 29 Democrats had called on Biden to drop out of the race by the end of July 19.
Following the announcement, Trump said in a post on his social media site Truth Social that Biden was “never” fit to be president.
“The fraudulent Joe Biden was not fit to be President and is certainly not fit to hold the office – and never was!” Trump wrote. “He only got to the office of President through lies, fake news and not leaving his basement. Everyone around him, including his doctor and the media, knew he was not fit to be President and he was not – and now look what he has done to our country.”
Further details of the announcement
In the letter, Biden praised his administration’s achievements over the past three and a half years. He has made “historic investments” in the country, reduced the cost of prescription drugs, nominated the first black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court and “passed the most significant climate legislation in world history.”
“Together, we have overcome a pandemic of the century and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” Biden wrote. “We have protected and preserved our democracy. And we have revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.”
Biden said he would speak to the nation about the decision “later this week.”
He praised Harris and other supporters.
“I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to all those who worked so hard to get me re-elected,” he wrote. “I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all of this work. And I want to express my deepest gratitude to the American people for the trust they have placed in me.”
In follow-up posts, Biden said he supported Harris and included a link to fundraising.
“My very first decision as a party candidate in 2020 was to select Kamala Harris as my vice president,” he said. “And it was the best decision I made. Today, I want to express my full support and endorsement of Kamala being our party’s nominee this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and defeat Trump. Let’s do it.”
Trump gains in polls
After this reversal in the 2020 presidential election, which was supposed to be a rematch, Democrats are now looking for a modern candidate as Trump, who promises an authoritarian style of leadership, has gained support in recent polls.
Just 107 days before Election Day, Biden’s move is the latest in newfangled presidential history for a candidate to withdraw from the race.
President Lyndon Johnson announced in March 1968 that he would not run for re-election that year. The Democratic delegates were to decide on his successor at the party convention in Chicago that summer, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey was to take over the office.
Harris appears to be in a sturdy position to replace Biden as the party’s standard-bearer, although questions remain about how the process will work and WHO would become the vice presidential candidate.
Democrats praise decision
Shortly after the announcement on Sunday afternoon, reactions poured in: Democrats mostly praised Biden’s performance and described his decision as courageous.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that he understood Biden’s decision to drop out of the race “was not easy, but he has once again put his country, his party and our future first.”
“Joe Biden was not only a great president and a great legislator, but also a truly amazing human being,” said the New York Democrat.
Several Republicans called on Biden to resign from office.
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to serve as president,” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X. “He must leave office immediately. November 5th cannot come soon enough.”
A crescendo chorus to retire
Biden was urged by Democrats in Congress to abandon his re-election campaign, even as he attempted to stabilize the aftermath of the debate through a series of campaign events. Sit down for Interview and holds a press conference in the annual NATO conference.
Democratic lawmakers largely demonstrated a public front of support for Biden in statements and fleeting interviews with reporters in the hallways of the U.S. Capitol.
What began as a compact protest by ordinary Democrats – Beginning Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas and a handful of skeptical high-ranking Democrats in the House of Representatives were among those in the vote – and the vote grew steadily through Friday.
50-year career in Washington
Biden’s departure marks the end of a long and eventful career in Washington, which includes 38 years in the U.S. Senate, including chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees, and eight years as Vice President under President Barack Obama.
Biden’s presidency was marked by major economic successes for the Democrats, starting with the allocation of nearly $2 trillion to combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
His leadership, held with a Democratic majority in Congress, led to significant nationwide investments in infrastructure, promoted financial incentives to combat climate change and revitalize the U.S. global role in semiconductor manufacturing, and strengthened flagging tax enforcement.
Yet Biden has suffered low approval ratings throughout his presidency, with Americans directing their frustration over inflation at the White House and blaming it for record numbers of border crossings as a divided Congress – after Democrats lost their majority in the House in the 2022 midterm elections – failed to pass immigration restrictions negotiated with the administration.
Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas also hurt his support among youthful and progressive voters, as Israel’s ongoing offensive against Hamas militias in the Palestinian territory of Gaza killed tens of thousands of civilians. Protesters against US arms sales to Israel disrupted dozens of Biden’s campaign rallies through 2024.
Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.
