Biden Drops Out of 2024 Presidential Race
President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday July 21, ending his campaign for reelection.
The decision comes after increasing pressure from Biden's Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 presidential debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave answers that did not make sense and failed to call out Donald Trump's many false statements.
Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump, and encouraged his party to unite behind her.
"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," Biden wrote in a letter posted to his X account.
Nearly 30 minutes later, Biden announced his full support for Harris in another post on X. Biden's support helps clear the way for Harris to become the Democratic nominee, but a smooth transition is by no means guaranteed.
Democratic officials, including many who were behind the effort to push Biden from the race, quickly released statements supporting the president's decision, which brings to an end a political career of 52 years.
The announcement is the latest jolt to a campaign for the White House that both political parties see as the most important election in generations.
There have been concerns over Biden's age since he announced he was running for reelection. Three-quarters of Americans believe the president is too old for a second term, according to an August 2023 survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Sixty-three percent also doubt his mental capability to be president; for Trump, aged 78, that number is 57%.
Biden often said that he was not as young as he used to be, but that he had wisdom and decades of experience, which were worth a lot.
Vice President Kamala Harris.
