By: Coco Xu
U.S. President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 Presidential Election in a surprise move on July 21st 2024 due to pressure from other members of the Democratic Party and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as a replacement candidate.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Mr. Biden said on social media. “And 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 to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” He later posted another message expressing his support for Ms. Harris as the potential Democratic candidate in the presidential race.
In a statement, Ms. Harris lauded President Biden’s decision. “I am honored to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she said. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
That task will be far from easy. President Biden’s decision made American election history as no sitting president had stepped down from an election so late into the process. Ms. Harris now has little over three months to rally the support of her party and nation. Recent polls show that she is able to compete with him, and perhaps even slightly ahead of him.
Additionally, Vice President Harris’ role as candidate will have to be ratified by the nearly 4,000 members at the Democratic National Convention, which will take place in Chicago from August 19th to 22nd.
However, the field looks promising; many Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have given her their backing. A few potential rivals, like Governor Gavin Newsom of California, have said that they will not be running.
The Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump greeted Mr. Biden’s decision tauntingly. “Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve and never was! ” Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post. According to [source], three in five Democrats said they would prefer that another candidate replace Mr. Biden as nominee.
Congressional leaders have pressured Mr. Biden to step down, and donors threatened to stop funding his campaigns. “This is not a decision I’ve come to lightly, but there is simply too much at stake to risk a second Donald Trump presidency,” said Democratic Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota on July 6, 2024.Their worries were proven valid at the presidential debate 24 days before PresidentBiden’s announcement. Appearing weak and dazed, Mr. Biden crashed a crucial opportunity to prove himself a worthy opponent against Trump. President Biden’s decision, gave many Democrats a sigh of relief with some have even praised his selflessness.
“Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader, but he is a truly amazing human being. His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.