Joe Biden drops reelection bid and endorses Kamala Harris for president
Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker
President Joseph R. Biden says he will stand down from his reelection bid and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” Biden announced his decision with a letter posted to social media (first X, then Instagram / Threads, and then Facebook) after a growing movement among Democrats and the media called for him to step aside.
Biden is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement, writing, “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”
Harris ran for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president before dropping out and later endorsing Biden for the position. Biden named her as his running mate in August 2020, which eventually made her the first Black woman and South Asian American to serve as vice president. Harris is decades younger than Biden at age 59, which could upend a major dynamic of the presidential race thus far. If she becomes the Democratic nominee, she’d be facing 78-year-old Donald Trump, who so far has dodged the same level of criticism over his age as Biden has fielded.
If elected as president, Harris would become the country’s first female and first South Asian American president.
Here is the text from Biden’s letter about declining the nomination:
My Fellow Americans,
Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.
Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
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.
I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.
For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.
Biden’s announcement comes after weeks of mounting pressure from donors, Congressional Democrats, and other erstwhile allies who have publicly and privately called on him to drop out of the race.
Biden resisted calls to drop out for weeks, but in a pretaped interview with BET News that aired Wednesday, he said he’d consider exiting the race if a doctor diagnosed him with a “medical condition.” The White House announced Wednesday night that Biden tested positive for covid-19 and is “experiencing mild symptoms.”
Democratic Party insiders began expressing concern about Biden’s age and ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in the wake of the June presidential debate, during which Biden appeared confused and was occasionally incoherent. He initially acknowledged his poor debate performance but insisted he wouldn’t drop out of the race, even as former allies — including George Clooney, a major Democratic donor — called on him to step down. He once again declined to drop out in a July 8th open letter to his fellow Democrats. “We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump,” Biden wrote. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us.”
pic.twitter.com/RMIRvlSOYw— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
In an effort to reassure the public about Biden’s health and stamina, Biden’s campaign planned a back-to-back events blitz in the aftermath of the debate. “We really want to turn the page on this,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the Associated Press. But attempts to quell doubts from vocal voters, donors, and Democratic Party members appeared to ease worries about the president’s age.
New York’s Olivia Nuzzi recently reported on a “conspiracy of silence” among the president’s inner circle regarding Biden’s cognitive decline. Several major donors at multimillion-dollar fundraising events noticed a marked change in Biden’s demeanor in recent months, according to CNN. “He was less cogent than usual,” one person who attended Clooney’s June fundraiser for Biden told the outlet. “There’s this general sense of just, unbelievable holding your breath every time he does an event, every time he’s with people,” a top Democrat close to Biden’s advisors told CNN.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Joe Biden (@joebiden)
Members of Biden’s party have been publicly and privately calling on Biden to step down from the race since the debate. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), among the most prominent Democrats who have said Biden should step down, urged Biden to “pass the torch.” In an appearance on MSNBC, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said it was “up to the president to decide if he is going to run.” Pelosi reportedly met with Biden to warn him that staying in the race could cost him — and down-ballot Democrats — the election. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told Biden that his caucus had serious concerns about Biden’s candidacy, sources told Axios.
For weeks, Biden’s campaign and allies dismissed the dissenters within his party as being out of touch with “average Democrats” who wanted him to stay in the race. But two-thirds of respondents to a July 17th poll by the AP-NORC Center said Biden should withdraw from the race and let the party nominate a different candidate.
Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images, Anna Moneymaker
President Joseph R. Biden says he will stand down from his reelection bid and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” Biden announced his decision with a letter posted to social media (first X, then Instagram / Threads, and then Facebook) after a growing movement among Democrats and the media called for him to step aside.
Biden is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement, writing, “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”
Harris ran for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president before dropping out and later endorsing Biden for the position. Biden named her as his running mate in August 2020, which eventually made her the first Black woman and South Asian American to serve as vice president. Harris is decades younger than Biden at age 59, which could upend a major dynamic of the presidential race thus far. If she becomes the Democratic nominee, she’d be facing 78-year-old Donald Trump, who so far has dodged the same level of criticism over his age as Biden has fielded.
If elected as president, Harris would become the country’s first female and first South Asian American president.
Here is the text from Biden’s letter about declining the nomination:
My Fellow Americans,
Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.
Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
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.
I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.
For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.
Biden’s announcement comes after weeks of mounting pressure from donors, Congressional Democrats, and other erstwhile allies who have publicly and privately called on him to drop out of the race.
Biden resisted calls to drop out for weeks, but in a pretaped interview with BET News that aired Wednesday, he said he’d consider exiting the race if a doctor diagnosed him with a “medical condition.” The White House announced Wednesday night that Biden tested positive for covid-19 and is “experiencing mild symptoms.”
Democratic Party insiders began expressing concern about Biden’s age and ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in the wake of the June presidential debate, during which Biden appeared confused and was occasionally incoherent. He initially acknowledged his poor debate performance but insisted he wouldn’t drop out of the race, even as former allies — including George Clooney, a major Democratic donor — called on him to step down. He once again declined to drop out in a July 8th open letter to his fellow Democrats. “We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump,” Biden wrote. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us.”
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
In an effort to reassure the public about Biden’s health and stamina, Biden’s campaign planned a back-to-back events blitz in the aftermath of the debate. “We really want to turn the page on this,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the Associated Press. But attempts to quell doubts from vocal voters, donors, and Democratic Party members appeared to ease worries about the president’s age.
New York’s Olivia Nuzzi recently reported on a “conspiracy of silence” among the president’s inner circle regarding Biden’s cognitive decline. Several major donors at multimillion-dollar fundraising events noticed a marked change in Biden’s demeanor in recent months, according to CNN. “He was less cogent than usual,” one person who attended Clooney’s June fundraiser for Biden told the outlet. “There’s this general sense of just, unbelievable holding your breath every time he does an event, every time he’s with people,” a top Democrat close to Biden’s advisors told CNN.
Members of Biden’s party have been publicly and privately calling on Biden to step down from the race since the debate. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), among the most prominent Democrats who have said Biden should step down, urged Biden to “pass the torch.” In an appearance on MSNBC, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said it was “up to the president to decide if he is going to run.” Pelosi reportedly met with Biden to warn him that staying in the race could cost him — and down-ballot Democrats — the election. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told Biden that his caucus had serious concerns about Biden’s candidacy, sources told Axios.
For weeks, Biden’s campaign and allies dismissed the dissenters within his party as being out of touch with “average Democrats” who wanted him to stay in the race. But two-thirds of respondents to a July 17th poll by the AP-NORC Center said Biden should withdraw from the race and let the party nominate a different candidate.