Associated Press
President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for re-election following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.
Biden announced his decision in a letter released on social media. He then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
The President said he would address the American people later this week “in more detail about my decision.”
The decision comes after escalating pressure from Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out the former President’s many falsehoods.
Republican lawmakers have begun to argue that if Biden isn’t fit to run for re-election, then he should immediately resign.
“If Joe Biden is too weak to stay in the race for the presidency, he should RESIGN as our Commander-in-Chief immediately,” Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn posted on X.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley reposted Biden’s letter on X and wrote, “Then RESIGN your office. If you can’t run a mere political campaign, you can’t be President.”
Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Biden’s decision to leave the race, but he and his team had made their preference for facing Biden clear.
In recent days, they had also tried to cast Democrats’ efforts to replace Biden as a “coup” as part of a larger effort to try to distract from Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 Election after he refused to accept the results, as well as the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.
“At this very moment, Democrat Party bosses are frantically trying to overthrow the results of their own party’s primaries to dump Crooked Joe Biden from the ballot,” Trump charged at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Saturday night, calling Democrats the real “enemies of democracy.”
Speaker Mike Johnson also attacked Harris as he called for Biden to resign the presidency.
“The party’s prospects are no better now with Vice President Kamala Harris, who co-owns the disastrous policy failures of the Biden administration,” Johnson said.
Biden plans to serve the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon on Jan. 20, 2025.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
11 comments
My Take
July 21, 2024 at 2:22 pm
OLD man Trump is clearly not mentally up to the task.
Out to pasture wth him.
Demo Comedy Show
July 21, 2024 at 2:23 pm
Question is this, is Joe fit to finish his term? He obviously is falling apart and his dementia puts us at risk. Jill obviously not happy.
Ocean Joe
July 21, 2024 at 2:27 pm
If he were to resign, your girl would become the incumbent, have a few months to run things…you might regret it.
Maybe Trump can start another birther thing.
Demo Comedy Show
July 21, 2024 at 2:32 pm
Whew, Im dizzy from another dose of Michael K spin. Demo leaders were turning on Joe and then the donors, who really control your party started witholding cash. That was it for Joe. He not once volunteered to step away. Dude is senile and truly believes he is the only one that can beat Trump. Its personal with him and Nancy
MH/Duuuval
July 21, 2024 at 5:53 pm
The Great White MAGA already debuted Birther 2.0 in 2020. Look for it to be revived.
Michael K
July 21, 2024 at 2:25 pm
This is what leadership looks like. Stepping aside for the best interests of the nation. Thank you, President Biden for so many remarkable achievements.
There’s a senile, selfish old man in the race who must be defeated.
My Take
July 21, 2024 at 2:48 pm
A black woman defeating Trump!
His and MAGA’s reactions would be priceless.
Then Melania should leave. For her own protection. With Musk
Demo Comedy Show
July 21, 2024 at 2:54 pm
Race has nothing to do with it but you want it to be. Of course Ka Mana like Joe will be heavily protected by the fake media. The same sources that told us for three and a half years that Joe was fine.
Michael K
July 21, 2024 at 5:17 pm
Whenever someone says “race has nothing to do with it” it moist certainly does have rvrything to do with it . Same with misogyny.
Keep digging.
MH/Duuuval
July 21, 2024 at 5:49 pm
“then the donors, who really control your party started witholding cash.”
This is so unlike MAGA ex-president who solicited oil barons for one billion dollars recently, promising to give them back far more in favors.
MH/Duuuval
July 21, 2024 at 6:06 pm
So, the personal rules over the political among Ds?
Fact is the personal has always been political. Just ask any woman in the US about the repressive reproductive initiatives of the male-dominated MAGA minority.