Ending weeks of speculation, President Joe Biden has announced that he is dropping out from the presidential election. Announcing the decision on X, he said that it is in the best interest of his party and the country for him to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of his term. He also offered his support and endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the nominee of the party for the presidential election.
President Biden wrote, “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”.
He added that he will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about the decision. In the statement addressed to “my fellow Americans”, he said it had been the “greatest honour of my life to serve as your president”.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
In another tweet, he 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.”
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… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
The decision comes amid growing concerns among Democrats and left-wing media houses about Joe Biden’s mental and physical capability to run for re-election against a rejuvenated Donald Trump.
While Joe Biden’s health and goof-ups have been a concern for a long time, in recent times his ability to effectively campaign against Trump has been questioned by his allies. The New York Times editorial had officially asked him to step down from the race, and former President Barack Obama expressing concern over Biden was seen as a final blow.
The former president who picked Biden as his vice president during his two terms recently shared his concerns about the current president’s re-election bid. Then Biden’s disastrous performance at a June 27 CNN debate convinced almost everyone that he is no longer fit and can’t contest against Trump.
The White House tried to explain it by blaming it on the cold and jet lag from a European tour 12 days ago, but nobody was convinced.
Reportedly, donors of the party froze donations over concerns about Biden’s capability to campaign.
This is the first time a US president has dropped out of a reelection run in decades, the last time it happened was in 1968, when president Lyndon Johnson decided against running for a second term. However, Johnson had made the announcement well in advance, while Biden’s decision comes at the last moment, when the Republican Party has already officially named Trump as its nominee.
While Biden has named Kamala Harris as the nominee, the party will have to take a final call on it.
