President Biden has dropped out of the 2024 race, a stunning end to a 50-year-long political career that culminated in caving to pressure from fellow Democrats to end his bid for reelection, which never fully recovered from an abysmal debate performance on June 27.
Biden, 81, announced Sunday he will no longer seek another four years in office after his physical and mental acuity were called into question following a prime-time debate in which he struggled to finish sentences, gave confused looks and fumbled through his answers.
“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 focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted to social media.
The president said he would address the nation later in the week about his decision. He later endorsed Vice President Harris to be the party’s nominee in November.
“For now let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected,” Biden wrote. “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.”
Biden withstood weeks of mounting pressure from his party, vowing to stay in the race so strongly that at one point he suggested only “the Lord Almighty” could convince him otherwise.
But the barrage of Democrats calling for his exit ramped up in the last week, both publicly and privately. More than 30 Democratic lawmakers had called on Biden to stand down as the nominee and pass the torch to another candidate, arguing he could not win in November and risked tanking the party’s chances down the ballot.
Privately, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) had bluntly told Biden of their concerns about his chances in November against former President Trump.
The president acknowledged multiple times after the June debate that he had a bad night, where his aides said he had a cold. He had just returned from a foreign trip, which was blamed for his sickness despite his being out of the public eye while staying at Camp David for nearly one week before he went head-to-head with Trump.
Biden’s campaign had pressed for an early debate date because he thought it might turn into a moment that could change polls, but it did anything but.
Trump, meanwhile, found a new wind in his sails in scoring major legal and political wins recently, particularly after an attempted assassination that reinforced Republicans behind his campaign right before what turned out to be a jubilant and unified coronation at the Republican National Convention.
Republicans in Milwaukee for the convention last week were confident about their chances against any candidate, but they acknowledged their preference was to face Biden, whom they viewed as a weakened opponent under attack by members of his own party.
Some GOP lawmakers and Trump campaign officials have previewed how they are likely to respond to the news: by seeking to sow chaos and discord among Democrats.
Some Republicans have indicated they could look to file legal challenges if Democrats try to switch Biden off the ballot, though there is no law that prevents a change from being made ahead of filing deadlines.
And top Trump allies have already argued that removing Biden after he won millions of primary votes would be undemocratic, with some equating it to a “coup.”
Others have argued if Biden is unable to run for reelection, he should not be able to remain on as president, suggesting it means he’s not up to the job.
“If Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign, how can he justify remaining President?” Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), the GOP’s vice-presidential candidate, posted Sunday on the social platform X. “Not running for reelection would be a clear admission that President Trump was right all along about Biden not being mentally fit enough to serve as Commander-in-Chief. There is no middle ground.”
Updated: 3:41 p.m.