President Joe Biden withdraws from 2024 race for the White House, endorses VP Kamala Harris for Democratic nomination

Today, President Joe Biden dropped out of the race to run for reelection as President of the United States on Sunday. Ending his bid for reelection has been talked about for weeks by many following the debate Biden, 81, had with 78-year-old Donald Trump. Political foes and allies have raised questions and concerns about both Biden and Trump’s fitness for office.

Biden’s sudden move to remove himself from the race comes after increasing pressure from Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate where he trailed off with comments and failed to challenge Trump’s numerous false statements. This unprecedented move upends the presidential race for Democrats less than four months before the election and a month before their convention in Chicago.

Said Biden in a letter posted on social media, “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 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.” Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him, urging Democrats to “come together and beat Trump.”

Harris must consolidate support heading into the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month and prepare for a battle against Trump and his allies who have already started their attack ads against her. Biden indicated that he would speak to the nation later in the week with more details. 

Initially vowing to remain in the race, Biden’s stance eventually softened which led to this decision. At one point Biden said that only the “Lord Almighty” coming down and telling him to quit would change his mind. 

Media outlets were continuously reporting that polls showed a majority of Democrats wanted Biden to withdraw from the race. Reportedly, Congressional leaders also privately expressed concerns, along with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama. Biden served as Obama’s vice president over two terms. Viewed as the party’s most influential politician, Obama reportedly told allies that he thinks Biden needs to rethink his candidacy. 

In the state of Georgia, delegates to the convention were firmly behind Biden’s nomination citing his support for a federal voting expansion, green energy initiatives, and a sprawling infrastructure package. Biden has about 4,000 of the party’s pledged delegates earned during the primaries. With his withdrawal, Biden can release them to another candidate, presumably Harris.

If they want to defeat Trump, Democrats will need to quickly coalesce around Harris or a different nominee. Many party leaders have already endorsed Harris, the nation’s first Black vice president, and are mindful of alienating the party’s African-American base if they bypassed her.

Harris made history as the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. If nominated for president, Harris would become the first woman of color to be selected by a major political party. A former U.S. senator and attorney general of California, Harris has earned praise as a stalwart Biden supporter.