US President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump, leaving the presidential race in uncharted territory.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he said in a statement.
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Joe Biden’s withdrawal upends what was already a White House race for the ages, but it will rattle Donald Trump, too — forcing him to recalibrate a campaign that was focused almost entirely on his former opponent. For months Trump and his allies have been playing on concerns that the 81-year-old Biden may no longer be fit for office, gleefully sharing video clips of every stammer, rhetorical gaffe and red carpet stumble.
But with the Democrat no longer in the race, the Trump operation finds itself pushed into a strategic pivot, forced now to shift its messaging to fit a contest with no incumbent and a yet-to-be-confirmed opponent, although Biden did endorse Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday as he pulled out of the race.
Biden said he would “speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision.” The Democratic Party is now plunged into chaos and needs to find a new candidate by November’s election, with Vice President Kamala Harris the frontrunner. Biden bowed out after weeks of pressure that began with a disastrous debate performance that raised fears over his health.
The stunning move makes Biden the first president in US history to pull out so late in an election race, and the first to bow out because of concerns over his mental acuity and health. Biden spent more than three weeks resisting calls to step down following the shock of the June 27 debate, at one point insisting that only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to back out.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told CNN on Sunday that he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris will be easier to defeat in November’s election than Democratic President Joe Biden who stepped aside as his party’s candidate. A CNN reporter said on X that Trump made the comments to the network shortly after Biden announced his decision.
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
Biden Pulls Out Of US presidential Race. What’s Next For Democrats
Vice President Kamala Harris is seen by many as a logical replacement, but several Democrats favor an approach that would allow her, and a short list of rising party stars, to make their case.