Just weeks after a disastrous debate spurred a dramatic revolt within his own party, Joseph R. Biden Jr., the 46th President of the United States, caved on July 21 to concerns among Democrats about his dwindling re-election chances, dropping out of the contest against former President Donald Trump. The dramatic decision upends the 2024 race and sets the stage for a frantic scramble to Election Day.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden wrote in a letter posted on social media a little before 2 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. “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.” In a separate post issued minutes later, Biden threw his support for the Democratic nomination behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Since the June 27 debate against Trump deepened questions about the President’s mental acuity and his ability to campaign and govern, dozens of the party’s elected officials had urged Biden, 81, to withdraw. Biden stubbornly defied those calls, bristling at the uprising and determined to forge ahead. He was 100% all in, aides insisted—until suddenly he wasn’t.
The historic decision makes Biden the first sitting President to cancel his re-election campaign in over half a century, when Lyndon Johnson announced in March 1968 he would not accept the Democratic Party’s nomination amid disapproval over his handling of the Vietnam War. Biden’s departure opens the door for Harris or another younger Democratic leader to vie for the top job against the 78-year-old Trump, depending upon how Democrats decide to replace him. And while Biden’s preference still carries influence among many party loyalists, there’s hardly a guarantee that a party willing to defenestrate its leader will take its cues from the President any longer.
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