WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race on Sunday, he said in a statement. letter published on social mediawhich created an unprecedented vacancy at the top of the Democratic ticket a month before the party’s nomination was officially accepted.
In continuation fasting Less than 30 minutes later, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and named her the Democratic nominee.
Biden’s withdrawal came after a weeks-long pressure campaign by party insiders disastrous June 27 debate with Republican Party candidate, former President Donald Trump.
The move throws further chaos into an already unusual presidential race, and it was unclear Sunday which candidate Democrats will pick to succeed Biden in the November election, though Harris has a good chance of winning.
In a written statement, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said the party will follow “established policies and procedures” in selecting a novel candidate.
“The work we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear,” Harrison wrote. “In the coming days, the Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a unified Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November. That process will be governed by established Party rules and procedures. Our delegates stand ready to take seriously their responsibility to swiftly deliver a nominee to the American people.”
In his letter, Biden praised Harris, calling her an “extraordinary partner” in the administration’s accomplishments.
Biden, who has been battling COVID-19 at his Delaware home since last week, did not specify the reasons for his decision to step down but said he believed it was in the best interests of the country.
“It has been the great honor of my life to serve as your president,” he wrote in the one-page letter. “And while it was my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and country for me to resign and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”
Biden, 81, appeared tender and disoriented at several points in the debate, raising concerns among elected Democrats and party voters that he is no longer up to the task of governing or standing up to Trump’s bid to reclaim the White House.
While several Democratic congressmen called on him to drop out of the race, others asked him to escalate the frequency of his public appearances and include more unscheduled appearances that could showcase his physical fitness.
But a more intense schedule of interviews, news conferences and campaign rallies has not sufficiently silenced Democratic voices who say a Biden candidacy would likely hand the presidential race to Trump — whom Biden and others describe as an existential threat to American democracy — and seriously weaken Democrats in other races, including the November election.
On Friday, Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Martin Heinrich from New Mexico The number of senators calling on Biden to withdraw has grown to four. A day earlier, Montana Sen. Jon Tester he said Biden should drop his re-election campaign, and Democrats should hold an open nominating process at their convention in Chicago next month.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, 29 Democrats have called on Biden to withdraw from the race by the end of the day on July 19.
In a post on his social media site Truth Social after the announcement, Trump said Biden was “never” fit to be president.
“Corrupt Joe Biden was not fit to run for President and is certainly not fit to serve — and never was!” Trump wrote. “He only got to be President by lying, fake news, and never leaving his basement. Everyone around him, including his doctor and the media, knew he was not fit to be President and was not — and now look what he has done to our Country.”
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In the letter, Biden praised his administration’s accomplishments over the past three and a half years, saying he had worked to make “historic investments” in the country, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, nominated the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court and “passed the most important climate legislation in the history of the world.”
“Together, we overcame a once-in-a-century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” Biden wrote. “We protected and preserved our democracy. And we revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.”
Biden said he will “talk to the Nation this week” about the decision.
He expressed appreciation to Harris and other supporters.
“For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who worked so hard to get me reelected,” he wrote. “I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all of this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.”
In subsequent tweets, Biden said he supported Harris and added a link to a fundraiser.
“My 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’ve ever made. Today, I want to offer my full support and my endorsement for Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year. Democrats, it’s time to unite and defeat Trump. Let’s do this.”
In an emailed statement from the Biden-Harris campaign, Harris called Biden’s decision a “selfless and patriotic act.”
“I am honored by the President’s endorsement, and it is my intention to seek and win this nomination. I have spent the past year traveling the country talking to Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
Trump is gaining in the polls
The change in the planned 2020 presidential rematch has left Democrats scrambling to find a novel candidate as Trump, who promises authoritarian leadership, has gained support in recent polls.
With just 107 days to go before Election Day, Biden’s decision marks the latest date in the history of a state-of-the-art presidential campaign for a candidate to withdraw from the race.
President Lyndon Johnson announced in March 1968 that he would not seek reelection that year, leaving Democratic Party delegates to decide on a successor — ultimately Vice President Hubert Humphrey — at the party convention in Chicago that summer.
Harris appears to be in a good position to replace Biden as the party’s standard-bearer, though questions remain about how the process will work and Who would be a candidate for vice president.
Democrats praise decision
Reactions came shortly after the decision was announced Sunday afternoon, with Democrats largely praising Biden’s record and calling his decision 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 legislative leader, but he is also a truly amazing human being,” the New York Democrat said.
Several senior Democrats have endorsed Harris to succeed Biden.
“We are honored to join the president in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do everything we can to support her,” former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement.
Statements from other party leaders, including Schumer, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama, were mute on the issue.
Several Republicans have called on Biden to resign.
“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 resign from office immediately. November 5th can’t come soon enough.”
The increasingly louder chorus that wants to give way
Biden has faced calls from congressional Democrats to drop his re-election bid, even as he has tried to stabilize the debate by holding a series of campaign rallies, sit down Down Interviews and organizing a press conference NATO Annual Conference.
Democratic legislators largely presented public support for Biden in statements and interviews with reporters in the hallways of the U.S. Capitol.
What started as a miniature faction of opposition among rank-and-file Democrats — beginning with Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas and a handful of wary senior House Democrats — gradually grew into a torrent by Friday.
A 50-year career in Washington
Biden’s departure marks the end of a long and storied career in Washington, which includes 38 years in the U.S. Senate, including chairmanships of the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary committees, and eight years as vice president under President Barack Obama.
Biden’s presidency has been marked by significant economic successes for Democrats, starting with the allocation of nearly $2 trillion to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
His leadership, with a Democratic majority in Congress, has translated into significant infrastructure investments across the country, introduced financial incentives to combat climate change and rebuild the United States’ global role in semiconductor manufacturing, and strengthened tax enforcement.
But Biden’s low approval ratings have followed him throughout his presidency, as Americans have turned their frustration over inflation on the White House and blamed it for record border crossings as a divided Congress — after Democrats lost their House majority in the 2022 midterm elections — has failed to pass immigration restrictions negotiated with the administration.
Biden’s handling of Israel’s war with Hamas has also hurt his support among teenage and progressive voters, as Israel’s ongoing offensive against Hamas militants in the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip has killed tens of thousands of civilians. Protesters against U.S. arms shipments to Israel have disrupted dozens of Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign events.
Ariana Figueroa assisted in the preparation of this report.
