Washington, DC (AP) – Sunday marked the withdrawal of President Joe Biden from the 2024 presidential contest. This decision came after a terrible debate with Donald Trump that cast question on the incumbent’s suitability for the position. A campaign that both major parties considered to be the most significant in recent memory was abruptly overturned by the historic statement, which was made less than four months before the election.
With the intention of finishing his time in office, the president made Vice President Kamala Harris the front-runner for the party’s August convention nomination as soon as he urged his colleagues to support her.
Arriving one week after Trump’s attempted assassination at a rally in Pennsylvania, the news is the most recent shock to the turbulent White House campaign.
Nothing in history has happened to a party’s presumed presidential candidate so soon before the election. In March 1968, after just one state’s primary, President Lyndon Johnson, overwhelmed by the Vietnam War, said he would not run for office again. Almost 14 million Democrats voted in favour of Biden throughout the primary, leading to his choice in July.
Grabbing Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” for herself, Harris said in a statement that she plans to “earn and win” her party’s candidature.
To stop Donald Trump and his radical Project 2025 programme, she vowed to do all within my power to bring the Democratic Party and the country together.
The 81-year-old president lagged down, often answered incoherently, and neglected to point out the previous president’s many lies during the June 27 debate. As a result, Biden felt increasing pressure from his Democratic friends to resign.
As your President, I have had the greatest honour of my life. In a statement published on Sunday on his X account, Biden said, “And although it has been my plan to seek reelection, I feel it is in the greatest interest of my party and the country for me to step aside and to focus completely on performing my duties as President.
Biden said that he was folding his campaign over thirty minutes earlier, and he immediately endorsed Harris.
“I would like to extend my complete backing and recommendation for Kamala to be our party’s nominee for this year,” he said in an additional post on X. The moment has arrived for Democrats to unite and defeat Trump.
With delegates voting for her party’s nomination, choosing a running mate, and turning around a large political operation designed to reelect Biden in favour of her candidature, Harris has an enormous political to-do list in front of her in the coming days. Should Harris win the presidency, she will become the first South Asian woman and person of colour to hold both titles.
The Congressional Black Caucus, former President Bill Clinton, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton all endorsed Harris before she made any comments on Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race, which was one of the first indications that the party was beginning to come together behind her. Remarkably, however, the outgoing president Barack Obama waited to endorse the party’s ultimate choice.
According to a statement released by the Clintons, “We are honoured to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her.”
But even as he commended Biden for his decision to withdraw from the campaign, Obama, who had privately expressed scepticism about the likelihood of Biden winning reelection, refrained from strongly backing Harris.
“In a statement, he expressed his extraordinary confidence that our party’s leaders can establish a procedure that will yield an exceptional nominee.”
With his circle of close friends and family members becoming smaller after his COVID-19 diagnosis last week, Biden has been withdrawing at his Delaware beach home and considering his options for the future of his political career. Biden promised to offer “detail” about his choice in a message to the country later this week.
People with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the private conversations said that Harris learned of Biden’s intentions on Sunday morning and that White House and top campaign aides were informed only minutes before the letter was sent out. Biden had been considering his options for the next several days, and he had made a well considered choice.
Now, in just a few short weeks, Democrats must work desperately to ensure that the nomination process is coherent and persuade the electorate that their choice is capable of defeating Trump. After spending years honing in on Biden, Trump, for his part, has to turn his attention to a new rival.
Given that funders, legislators, and even Biden’s own staff doubted he could persuade voters that he could credibly lead the country for a further four years, the decision brings an abrupt and unexpected conclusion to Biden’s fifty-two years in political politics.
A formality would have been Biden’s nomination had he won all but one of the nominating contests and the great majority of delegates. Those delegates may now freely back another candidate as a result of his withdrawal.
With regard to federal campaign finance regulations, Harris,59, seemed to be the obvious choice to succeed Biden, primarily because she is the only contender who has direct access to the campaign’s cash.
In recognition of her political operation being passed down to her, Biden’s campaign officially changed its name to Harris for President. This is a symbol of her advantage over her rivals for the Democratic candidature. Renaming their joint fundraising committees to reflect Harris’ candidature was another document that Democratic organisations, such as the Democratic National Committee, submitted.
Before the in-person procedures start, the party had stated that it will perform a virtual roll call to officially nominate Biden. The Democratic National Convention is set to take place in Chicago from August 19–22.
Who else would put up a fight with Harris for the nomination was still out in the air. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, and Pete Buttigieg, the secretary of transportation, who opposed Biden and Harris for the Democratic candidature in 2020, endorsed her on Sunday. Biden and Harris had been mentioned as potential successors until last year.
“A candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November” will be chosen by the party via “a transparent and orderly process,” according to a statement released by Jaime Harrison, the head of the Democratic National Committee.
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According to Jonathan Kott, a longtime advisor to Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who announced his intention to run for the vice presidential nomination after defecting from the Democratic Party earlier this year, Manchin may re-register as a Democrat.
Working to secure the nomination, Harris was on the phone with Democratic delegates and elected officials on Sunday afternoon.
For the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris earned her first delegates on Sunday. Following Biden’s withdrawal from the race, the Tennessee Democratic Party announced on X that its delegation decided to support Harris during a meeting on Sunday.
In addition, Harris received Sunday night endorsements from three other governors: Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. All three governors are from swing states and have been discussed as potential running mates for Harris.
Biden “was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve,” according to a tweet made by Trump on his Truth Social website in response to the announcement.
“As a result of his presidency, we will suffer greatly, but we will quickly undo the damage he has caused.” “LET’S IMPROVE AMERICA!”
Trump’s campaign increased its assaults on Harris even though he and his staff had made it plain that they preferred to go on Biden as pressure on Biden to resign mounted.
Biden’s decision was swiftly praised by Democratic politicians, many of whom were involved in the drive to remove Biden from the race.
Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said, “His decision was not easy, of course, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first.” “Today demonstrates your greatness as an American and as a true patriot, Joe,”
One of the most outstanding and significant leaders in American history, Biden was hailed by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
In case Biden is unfit to run for office, Speaker of the Republican-controlled House Mike Johnson demanded that he step down right now. November 5th cannot come soon enough, Johnson said in a statement.
An individual with knowledge of President Biden’s itinerary who was not permitted to publicly remark said that he still plans to visit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this week in addition to his scheduled speech to the nation.
Due to Biden’s ongoing recuperation from COVID, the precise time of the meeting is still up for debate. On Wednesday, Netanyahu is set to address Congress and, while in Washington, he is also anticipated to meet with Harris.
With the goal of serving as a link to the next generation of leaders, Biden positioned himself as a transitional figure in 2020. He was hesitant to give up the job he had worked so hard for decades after he got it, however.
When asked whether any other Democrats could defeat Trump, Biden responded in the affirmative.
In response, Biden said, “Probably 50 of them.” “Yes, I can beat him, but I’m not the only one who can.”
Having having served as president for the longest period of time in the nation, Biden has frequently emphasised to voters that he was ready for another term and another campaign, asking them to “watch me.”
They did observe him, too. Democrats and contributors began to express their concerns in public after he had a dismal debate performance. They had been saying in secret for months that they did not believe he was qualified to serve in office for another four years.
Even though Trump is just three years younger at 78, Biden’s age has been a source of concern for him ever since he declared his candidature. A survey conducted in August 2023 by The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research revealed that the majority of Americans believe the president is too elderly to serve a second term. Even though it is another one of Trump’s weaknesses, the majority also question his mental fitness to serve as president.
Speaking with ease and fluidity, Biden often observed that his years of experience and knowledge made him seem much older than he really was.
As a Biden, I promise you this. The day after the debate, he addressed supporters at a rally in North Carolina, “I would not be running again if I did not believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job.” The stakes are just too great, which is why.
Even though his administration oversaw a booming economy, guided the country through its recovery from a global pandemic, and passed significant bipartisan legislation that will have an impact on the country for years to come, voters still had other issues with him. His job performance is seen negatively by the majority of Americans, and he has consistently received poor approval ratings on important subjects like immigration and the economy.
Trump had a significant influence on Biden’s decision to run for office. He had decided to run after Trump’s remarks at a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, when white supremacists descended on the city to protest the removal of its Confederate memorials. He had retired from public service after eight years serving as Obama’s vice president and the death of his son Beau.
Trump said, “On both sides, there were very fine people as well as some very bad people in the group.” in both directions.
Jill Biden, the first lady, reshared her husband Joe Biden’s letter announcing his decision along with love emojis in response to the president’s declaration.
“I’m nothing but proud of my Pop,” Naomi Biden Neal, a granddaughter, tweeted. Her words, “our world is better today in so many ways thanks to him,” summed up his service to the nation: “with every bit of his soul and with unmatched distinction.”