In a surprise or maybe not so surprising turn of events in the last few days, Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race and won’t be running as a nominee in the November elections.
Caving into Democratic pressure from all sides, the announcement came on July 21 as Biden came out of recovery from a bout of Covid-19 where he has been self isolating at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
Biden has also clearly endorsed Harris as the presidential nominee. In a letter to the American public he said that it was his greatest honor to have served as President.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
“And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down and to focus solely on my duties as President for the rest of my term.”
Pressure for him to step down began mounting after the Trump/Biden presidential debate on July 27 which was seen by many as a debacle.
Biden has however been quite adamant fighting off calls to step down for the last three weeks.
The run up to the election seems to be steeped in shocking events, right from the attempted assasination on Donald Trump last week to the somewhat sudden change of heart by Biden; with his decision to step aside after sticking to his guns that he would be running no matter what. This, despite getting so much flak for continued gaffes and lapses in his speech most notably during the NATO summit where he introduced Ukraine President, Zelensky as Putin.
Biden, in his statement, spoke about his four years in office saying that he has built the strongest economy in the world. He said some of his achievements included lowering prescription drug prices, expanding health care, tackling climate change and appointing the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
With less than 110 days to go before the Elections, the heat is definitely on, especially as polls continue to show Trump leading.
Kamala Harris
Harris also made a statement expressing her deep gratitude to Joe Biden and his family. She said, “With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting American people and our country above everything else.”
“My intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. 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.”