In a shocking and unprecedented turn of events, current sitting United States President Joe Biden has pulled out of his campaign to seek re-election. Biden has formally announced that he will be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to stand in the gap and run on behalf of the Democratic Party.
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
This decision comes after weeks of conversation and concern surrounding his participation in the 2024 CNN Presidential Debate, the first of this election cycle. The public—including the Democratic Party—has expressed widespread disapproval and lack of support for his abilities to lead the country.
Most prevalent in this increasing withdrawal of support has been his age. President Biden is 81 years old, making him the oldest president to hold office. This fact was a primary source of concerns about his agility, soundness of mind, and presentation of strength. Additionally, he was diagnosed with COVID last week which added an extra layer of fear about his abilities to lead and continue to run for a second term in office. This mistrust in his leadership is also derived from a myriad of reasons: his international diplomacy positioning in matters related to the concurrent Palestinian, Sudanese and Congolese genocides, failure to follow through on issues he promised to uphold prior to being elected in 2020 and more.
Before this announcement, President Biden shared his adamancy to stay in the race publicly on multiple occasions.
The only other US president to have stepped down from office was Richard Nixon, who served from 1969-1974. The 37th President of the United States resigned following the Watergate scandal in which his administration concealed their involvement in a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
Biden now joins the ranks of other United States Presidents who have served one term in office: James K. Polk (1845-1849), James Buchanan (1857-1861), Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881), Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929), Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969).
President Biden shared a full statement regarding his decision to remove himself from the race:
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.
President Joe Biden
President Biden plans to address the nation publicly later this week. EBONY will continue to follow this matter closely as it develops.
