On July 21, 2024, President Joe Biden posted a letter on his X account explaining that he will step down from the presidential race.
“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus on my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden said.
In his letter, Biden addressed his own party, but also the country as he is still president to the end of the term.
“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,” Biden said.
As Biden stepped down, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrats’ nominee when the Democratic National Convention (DNC) comes to Chicago in August. She is proud to be Biden’s first choice to run for president.
“I am honored to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said on an X post.
This huge turn of events in the race has led to multiple political figures commenting on Biden’s withdrawal. The Democrats have only a couple weeks before the Aug. 19-22 DNC to nominate a new candidate to run against Trump.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” 44th President Barack Obama said on Medium.com. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
Despite the stress that comes with trying to find a new nominee, Biden has been commended by some fellow politicians for his choice to leave the race.
Obama responded to Biden’s post on his own X account by calling him a “patriot of the highest order.”
This has also prompted former President Donald Trump to respond with confidence in his own campaign.
“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account.
Criticism of Biden began to grow after the June 27, 2024 presidential debate where he had trouble maintaining coherent responses when answering the moderators’ questions. From then until July 21, multiple Democratic politicians called for Biden to step down. Politicians and segments of the public alike brought up concerns about his age, in particular.
“The stakes in this election could not be higher,” U.S. Representative from Arizona’s 4th congressional district Greg Stanton said. “For our country’s sake, it is time for the president to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders.”
Biden has made his statement about dropping out of the presidential race, but has not explicitly said why other than that it is in the best interest of the country. However, more answers will come on how the Democrats will continue in the election before the DNC.
“[July 24, 2024] at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people,” Biden said on an X post.
