Source: MANDEL NGAN / Getty
After weeks of mounting pressure for the 46th president to not seek reelection following his poor showing at the presidential debate last month, moments ago, Joe Biden announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy. Last week, he also reported having contracted COVID, which has kept him off of the campaign trail. But the decision to withdraw, while not surprising, was still stunning to learn of.
In a letter posted on X, President Biden said, in part, the following:
“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.”
The last time an incumbent made the decision to not seek reelection was when Lyndon Baines Johnson stepped down ahead of the 1968 presidential contest. Biden has thrown his support behind Vice-President Kamala Harris.
The Vice-President at a Juneteenth Celebration an Georgia this June Source: Anadolu / Getty
Following her grandfather’s announcement, Naomi Biden issued the following statement, also on X:
I’m nothing but proud today of my Pop, our President, Joe Biden, who has served our country with every bit of his soul and with unmatched distinction. Not only has he been—and will continue to be—the most effective president of our lifetime, but he has likely already cemented himself as the most effective and impactful public servant in our nation’s history.
With all of the focus the last few weeks on Biden’s mental acuity, little has been said about Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump’s, decline. Beyond the anti-human rights statements he’d made, and his refusing to promise to not to be a dictator, the former president has and continues made a series of incoherent speeches and errors.
That must be the focus moving forward: how can Americans appreciate the need for a president who governs rather than performs? How can Americans throw their weight behind someone who honors and upholds the law and legal protections for all of its citizens, rather than someone who routinely has broken the law and supported others who did likewise?
This is a developing story.