President Joe Biden, 81, abandoned his bid for re-election and threw the 2024 presidential contest into chaos on Sunday, caving to relentless pressure from his closest allies to drop out of the race amid deep concerns that he is too old and frail to defeat former President Donald J. Trump.
After calling Vice-President Kamala Harris an “extraordinary partner”, he endorsed her to take his place atop the ticket.
After three weeks of often angry refusals to step aside, Biden finally yielded to a torrent of devastating polls, urgent pleas from Democratic lawmakers and clear signs that donors were no longer willing to pay for him to continue.
Biden, in a post on X, said he would remain in his role as President and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025 and would address the nation this week.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And 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 the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote.
In another post, Biden wrote: 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.”
Biden’s decision abruptly ends one political crisis that began when the President delivered a calamitous debate performance against Trump on June 27. But for the Democratic Party, Biden’s withdrawal triggers a second crisis: who to replace him with, and specifically whether to rally around Vice-President Harris or kick off a rapid effort to find someone else to be the party’s nominee.
The announcement by Biden, who is isolating with Covid, came just three days after Trump delivered an incendiary, insult-laden speech accepting his party’s nomination for a chance to return to the White House for a second term. Trump, who has been preparing for a rematch with Biden for years, will now face a different — and as yet, unknown — Democratic opponent, with only 110 days left until Election Day.
No sitting American President has dropped out of a race so late in the election cycle. The Democratic National Convention, where Biden was to have been formally nominated by 3,939 delegates, is scheduled to begin August 19 in Chicago.
New York Times News Service
