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Joe Biden drops out of 2024 presidential race after debate disaster
Joe Biden stunningly dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday in a political earthquake never seen this close to an election.
As he ended his campaign America's oldest ever president admitted it was in the 'best interests of the country' for him not to seek re-election for a second term.
Biden, 81, endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic nominee to take on Donald Trump in November.
Harris said she would be the one to 'unite' the party.
The President had faced an increasingly frenzied clamor to step aside after a disastrous debate performance against Trump last month.
Biden announced his seismic decision in a one-page letter posted on social media. In it he committed to serving until the end of this term in January.
However, Republicans called on him to resign immediately, arguing that if he is not 'fit to run' then he is 'not fit to serve'.
President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and ended his reelection bid after a slew of backlash for his car crash debate performance on June 27 against Donald Trump
'It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,' Biden wrote in a letter posted to his X account on Sunday.
'And while it has been my intention to seek reelection,' he went on, '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.'
Although Biden had been under immense pressure the announcement came with no warning and many of his own staff and supporters in Congress appeared to be blindsided.
'No one had a heads up before the tweet posted,' one Biden campaign worker told DailyMail.com. 'Which, to me, is an insane way to treat the 1,300 people that work for you on the campaign.'
Earlier on Sunday a slew of Biden's allies went on the airwaves to insist the President was not stepping down and would continue his re-election efforts.
Biden campaign senior aide Anita Dunn claimed he made the decision at the last minute, sources told ABC News.
Dunn told the campaign to shift towards 'defending and protecting' Harris now.
Biden said in his drop-out letter that he would speak in more detail about his decision in remarks to the country later this week. He also sent a quick follow-up post pushing for Harris to take over his campaign.
VP Harris released a statement where she seemed to accept Biden's endorsement as a de facto primary win and said she will lead the party to victory in November.
However, just because Biden backed his No. 2 to take his spot doesn't mean she automatically will receive the nomination.
'With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else,' Harris wrote a few hours after Biden ended his bid.
'I am honored to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,' she added before listing her credentials for getting the nod from her boss.
'Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election,' she wrote. '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.'
'We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.'
Moments after his announcement, Biden posted to X an endorsement of Harris to take over his campaign – and theVP responded with a statement urging for the party to 'unite' and allow her to lead them to victory in November
Protesters gathered outside the White House on Saturday urging Biden, who was ailing from COVID, to drop out of the race and allow a different candidate to lead the Democratic ticket
Harris has a jam-packed week already with three different campaign stops while Biden continues to serve in his official duty as President.
Meanwhile, Republicans insisted on Sunday that if Biden is not fit to run for president, he must also resign from the job right now.
'If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough,' House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote on X.
Sen. J.D. Vance, who last week became Trump's running mate, questioned: 'If Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign, how can he justify remaining President?'
Last week, Biden was pulled from the campaign trail after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 for the third time in the middle of a west coast swing. This led to even more speculation that he would soon drop out of the race.
It came after the showdown against Trump last month where Biden was often seen on split screen with his mouth agape and a million-mile blank stare. During his time to speak at the podium, the President would stumble, freeze, lose his train of thought and mumble his way through answers to moderator's questions.
At one point just 12 minutes into the debate, Trump said: 'I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either.'
Trump went on to a post-debate rally in Chesapeake, Virginia where he said he was skeptical Biden would actually drop out of the race, claiming Democrats don't have a better option against him in November.
The former president's immediate response to Biden's decision came in a call to CNN on Sunday.
'He is the worst president in the history of our country,' the former president said. 'He goes down as the single worst president by far in the history of our country.'
Trump added that he thinks Harris will be even easier to defeat than Biden.
At his first rally after being shot, Trump already tried out a new nickname for her as he saw the writing on the wall for Harris taking over the Democrats' campaign.
'From the moment we take back the White House from crooked Joe Biden and Kamala ... I call her laughing Kamala. You ever watch her? She's crazy,' Trump said at his rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday.
He added: 'You can tell a lot by laughter she's crazy. She's nuts. She's not as crazy as Nancy [Pelosi].'
Biden announced his historic decision to step aside in a one-page letter posted to X where he committed to completing his term, but did not fully endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement until a follow-up social media post
The former president also took to his Truth Social account on Sunday afternoon to respond to the news that he will no longer face Biden in November.
'Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement,' he wrote. 'All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn't capable of being President, and he wasn't.'
Trump concluded: 'We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly.'
Biden was not yet the Democratic Party's official nominee and there is still a short time to replace him before the Democratic National Convention next month and avoid an open convention.
The party's nomination event falls August 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois. It now appears that Harris will be at the top of the Democratic ticket by the end of that week after primary voters cast their ballots for Biden to be the nominee.
Harris was initially furious over reports she was not being considered for the spot – but it soon became clear to Democrats she was the best option to replace Biden.
Now kicks off the veepstakes for the current VP to choose her No. 2. Among the short list could be the likes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, both previously floated as potential replacements for Biden if he would drop out.
A local NBC affiliate in Sacramento, California reported on Sunday that Newsom has abruptly canceled his appearance at the U.S. Ninth Circuit judicial conference scheduled for Monday without any reason given.
Trump was among those that speculated former First Lady Michelle Obama would jump in the race and lead the 2024 Democratic ticket. She so far has polled best out of any other potential Biden replacements.
But Biden made it clear that he is backing his VP for the 2024 race.
'My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,' the President wrote on X. 'And it's been the best decision I've made.'
He added: 'Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this. '
Others flocked to endorse Harris, including Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who wrote on X: 'Democrats must immediately unite so we can focus on winning in November. I look forward to casting my vote for Kamala Harris and doing everything I can to ensure she becomes our next president.'
What now? VP Harris is the most likely replacement for Biden since she was already on the ticket with him and served four years as his No. 2. Pictured: Harris campaigns in the swing state of North Carolina on Thursday, July 18
Some speculate either California Gov. Gavin Newsom or Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could be selected as Harris' running mate
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said before Biden's bombshell announcement that the party needs to unite behind a candidate. He said an open convention would cause Democrats lose in November against Trump.
'If you go to the convention, have an open process in the convention, It will come out the same way it came out in 1968, 1972 and 1980,' Clyburn told CNN State of the Union host Jake Tapper on Sunday morning.
'When we had a contested process on the floor of the convention in 1980, we lost an incumbent president, and in 1972, we carried one state, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia,' he explained. 'And all of us know what happened in 1968 when we ran Lyndon Johnson out of the race, with a great record Lyndon Johnson had, got rid of him over one issue, the Vietnam War.'
'Here, we are now using one issue to get rid of a president, the result would be the same.'
House Speaker Johnson warned earlier on Sunday that Democrats will 'run into some legal impediments' if they tried to replace Biden on the ticket.
Speaking to ABC This Week host Marth Raddatz, he said: '14 million Democrats voted to make Joe Biden the nominee.'
'It would be wrong and I think unlawful in accordance with some of these states' laws for a handful of people to go in the backroom and switch it out because they don't like a candidate any longer.'
'That's not how this is supposed to work,' Johnson added.
Both Newsom and Whitmer have denied before and after the debate that they are seeking to replace Biden on the ballot and Newsom said he would not run against friend and ally Harris.
'President Biden is a great public servant who knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump,' Whitmer posted to X on Sunday after the President ended his reelection bid.
She added: 'My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families' costs, banning abortion nationwide, and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan.'
Newsom responded by claiming Biden's single term was 'extraordinary' and 'history-making.'
'He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.'
Biden and his team and allies spent the weeks after the debate in damage control mode trying to quell concerns that the President is no longer fit for a second term.
And despite many party leaders and campaign officials defending Biden's performance, Democrats were in an all-out panic after the President stumbled and mumbled his way through the debate.
The campaign said Biden's raspy and hard-to-hear voice was the result of a cold and tried to sell the line that it was just a 'slow start.'
But lawmakers saw through that – and nearly 40 Democratic members of Congress called on Biden to end his reelection campaign in the weeks after the debate. Among those lawmakers were some top Democrats – like Rep. Adam Schiff – and close allies of Biden.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke with Biden this afternoon, a source familiar with the call confirmed to DailyMail.com.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden held a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina the day after the debate where the President appeared more energetic and defended his viability as a candidate while acknowledging his debate performance could have been better
Some felt First Lady Jill Biden was the only pushing for her 81-year-old husband to remain on the ballot.
Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wy.) accused the first lady of 'elder abuse' and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) wrote on X: 'As a geriatric nurse practitioner who cared for so many older adults with cognitive impairment, this [debate] is heartbreaking to watch…'
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison and Biden's campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez held a call the weekend after the debate where they sought to reassure rank and file members of the party of his continued viability as a candidate.
According to some on the call, the party leaders largely ignored Biden's weak showing in Atlanta on Thursday and downplayed the avalanche of criticism that followed. No one was able to ask questions and the chat function was disabled.
The members felt gaslighted by Harrison and Rodriguez and claimed they were being asked to ignore the ire situation of the party's predicament – either toe the line and get behind Biden's candidacy or scramble to find a replacement in just one month's time.
Harrison offered what they described as a rosy assessment of Biden's path forward.
'I was hoping for more of a substantive conversation instead of, 'Hey, let's go out there and just be cheerleaders,' without actually addressing a very serious issue that unfolded on American television for millions of people to see,' Joe Salazar, an elected DNC member from Colorado who was on the call, said, according to the Associated Press .
He added: 'There were a number of things that could have been said in addressing the situation. But we didn't get that. We were being gaslit.'