President Joe Biden announced Sunday, July 21, that he will end his presidential re-election campaign, bringing an abrupt and humbling conclusion to his half-century-long political career and scrambling the race for the White House just four months before Election Day.
Biden, 81, could not reverse growing sentiment within his party that he was too frail to serve and destined to lose to Donald Trump in November. He backed Vice President Kamala Harris in no uncertain terms to replace him as the Democratic nominee.
President Biden has been diagnosed with COVID and is self isolating and recovering at his home in Delaware.
Following is President Joe Biden’s letter:
July 21, 2024
“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, ion 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.”
— Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
In addition to the letter, President Biden also tweeted as follows:
“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.”
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
President Joe Bidens decision to withdraw from the race is about as big a bomb shell as it gets and happened a mere 21 days since his disastrous debate performance, one month before the Democratic Party Nominating Convention and a little more than 4 months before the election. Now all eyes are on Kamala Harris and if she can in fact mount a successful campaign to secure the nomination, who she will select as her Vice President nominee and if former President Donald Trump can keep up his momentum.
The New York Times reported the news in part as follows:
“The president’s decision upended the race and set the stage for a raucous and unpredictable campaign unlike any in modern times, leaving Ms. Harris just over 100 days to consolidate support from Democrats, establish herself as a credible national leader and prosecute the case against Mr. Trump.
Although Democratic convention delegates must ratify the choice of Ms. Harris to take over as standard-bearer next month, Mr. Biden’s endorsement meant the nomination was hers to lose and she appeared in a powerful position to claim it. While Mr. Biden, 81, remained president and still planned to finish out his term in January, the transition of the campaign to Ms. Harris, 59, amounted to a momentous generational change of leadership of the Democratic Party.
The president’s decision meant that a nomination will be settled at a convention rather than through primaries. Ms. Harris starts the truncated process in the strongest position. Within minutes of Mr. Biden’s announcement, one potential rival, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, announced she would not run. Another, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, had previously said he would not challenge Ms. Harris.”
The link to the full unedited New York Times report is here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/21/us/politics/biden-drops-out.html