In a stunning and unprecedented move, President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he will end his presidential re-election campaign, bringing an abrupt conclusion to his half-century-long political career. This decision comes just four months before Election Day, reshaping the race for the White House.
Biden, 81, faced growing sentiment within his party that he was too frail to serve another term and was likely to lose to Donald Trump in November. Acknowledging these concerns, he has backed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee.
“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 focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted on X (formerly Twitter). “I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”
Biden expressed gratitude to Harris for “being an extraordinary partner” and endorsed her in a subsequent post. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” Biden posted. “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.”
Biden and Harris spoke today ahead of the president’s announcement, according to a source familiar with the campaign. His withdrawal marks the end of a singular national political career, which began during the fall of Richard Nixon and spanned the rise of Donald Trump. Biden mounted four presidential bids, spent 36 years in the U.S. Senate representing Delaware, chaired the powerful Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees, and served eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president.
Reactions from politicians quickly poured in. California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X that Biden “has been an extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans.” Newsom, one of Biden’s most prominent surrogates and a potential Democratic presidential contender, praised Biden as “one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, another prominent Democrat considered a future national candidate, called Biden a “great public servant” in a post on X. “My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families’ costs, banning abortion nationwide, and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan,” Whitmer wrote.
Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden expressed pride in her “Pop” in a post, highlighting his service to the country. First lady Jill Biden posted her husband’s statement to X with a heart emoji.
Across the aisle, Republicans criticized Biden’s move and called for his resignation. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley was among those demanding Biden step down, writing, “If you can’t run a mere political campaign, you can’t be President.” Trump’s campaign described Biden’s exit as “complete disgrace” in a fundraising email.
In a brief phone interview with NBC News, Trump called Biden “the worst president in the history of the United States by far.” When asked about Biden’s decision, Trump remarked, “He should never have been there in the first place. He should have stayed in his basement.”
Biden’s decision to exit the race less than a month before his party’s convention and a few months before Election Day is unprecedented in modern political history. The last sitting president to abandon a re-election bid was Lyndon Johnson, whose expansion of the Vietnam War split the Democratic Party in the 1960s. However, Johnson’s announcement came eight months before that election.
“We’re in uncharted waters,” said Barbara Perry, a presidential studies professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. “No president has dropped out or died this close to the convention.”
Replacing Biden atop the Democratic ticket is likely to cause internal tremors as ambitious officials maneuver to become his successor. Factions have already formed around Harris and prominent governors like Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and California’s Gavin Newsom.
Harris appears to be the heir apparent, having broken barriers as the first female vice president and a woman of color. She enjoys strong support among African Americans, a loyal Democratic coalition. However, Harris’ approval rating stood at only 32% in an NBC News poll released earlier this month.
“There’s no one you can name right now who is an obvious substitute,” Perry said. “That’s what makes this so uncertain and chaotic.”
The mechanics of putting a new name on ballots raise myriad legal questions. Republicans could mount legal challenges to keep the nominee off the ballot.
Questions about Biden’s capacities have dogged him throughout his presidency, peaking after his debate with Trump on June 27. His flagging poll numbers and listless performance sparked panic within his party. Biden spoke in a raspy voice, often failing to complete thoughts or deliver a cogent explanation of why voters should choose him over Trump. He later attributed his poor performance to exhaustion and a cold.
Unpersuaded, Democratic lawmakers began calling on Biden to step aside, a rebellion that grew steadily. Thirty-seven congressional Democrats, including independent Senator Joe Manchin, urged Biden to drop out of the 2024 election before his decision on Sunday.
They appealed to Biden’s patriotism, arguing that if he sincerely believed Trump is a threat to democracy, he needed to put his country first and step down.
Biden fought back, holding numerous calls and meetings with Democratic officials to shore up support, but to no avail. To address concerns about his acuity, he gave interviews and held press conferences to prove he could still think on his feet. However, the gaffes continued, and his poll numbers remained stagnant.
In another bit of bad fortune, Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on July 17, forcing him off the campaign trail. For Democrats, Biden’s illness created an unwanted contrast. While Trump delivered a triumphal speech accepting the Republican nomination in Milwaukee on July 18, five days after surviving an assassination attempt, Biden was in self-isolation back home.
Biden’s departure adds to the chaotic developments of the 2024 presidential race. Trump won the Republican nomination despite splitting his time between the campaign trail and courtrooms where he faced criminal and civil cases. In May, a jury in Manhattan convicted him on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments to a porn star.
Trump’s momentum grew with a Supreme Court ruling on July 1 that immunized him from official conduct when he was president, impeding special counsel Jack Smith’s efforts to prosecute him for interfering in the 2020 election. On July 13, Trump nearly died when a gunman fired a bullet that grazed his ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump rose, defiantly pumping his fist and yelling “Fight!”
Another fortuitous development for Trump came when Federal Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida dismissed a case alleging that Trump improperly retained classified documents. Cannon, appointed by Trump, ruled that Smith’s appointment was illegal. Smith quickly appealed her ruling.
These events gave Trump momentum, allowing Republicans to present an energized and unified front at this month’s convention.
Biden’s primary campaign was mostly a coronation. Party leaders cleared the field, betting that having beaten Trump once before, Biden was best positioned to do it again. However, poll after poll confirmed doubts about Biden’s age and health.
An AP-NORC survey released July 17 found that 65% of Democrats believed Biden should exit the race.
Pressed by voters and abandoned by party leaders, Biden ultimately decided to step aside. His departure signals a seismic shift in the 2024 presidential race, setting the stage for a new and unpredictable chapter.
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