President Joe Biden announced today that he will not be seeking reelection in the 2024 presidential race, and threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden's decision follows weeks of mounting pressure from within his own party and from key Democratic donors urging him to step aside for the sake of the party's future. This announcement marks a significant shift in the political landscape as the Democratic Party must now quickly organize to select a new nominee before August 7.
"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," Biden said in a statement posted on social media.
"I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision."
In a second post, Biden endorsed Harris to succeed him as the nominee.
"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 decision I've made. 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," he wrote, including a photo of him with the vice president.
Trump Responds
Former President Donald Trump told CNN shortly after the announcement that Biden was "the worst president in the history of our country. He goes down as the single worst president by far in the history of our country." Trump also suggested to the network that Harris would be easier to beat.
Trump later released a lengthier statement on his social media platform Truth Social.
"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. All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn't capable of being President, and he wasn't - And now, look what he's done to our Country, with millions of people coming across our Border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists," he wrote.
"We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Newsweek has reached out to Trump's campaign, Biden's campaign and Harris' spokesperson for further comment.
Trump's running mate, GOP Senator JD Vance of Ohio, slammed Harris and Biden on social media on Sunday.
"Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way," Vance said.
Calls for Biden to Drop Out
Biden's reelection campaign has faced increasing scrutiny and concern following a widely criticized debate performance. Unlike the chorus of support he received after his State of the Union address, Biden's debate with former President Donald Trump raised alarms about his ability to lead the country.
On July 2, Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett became the first Democrat in Congress to call for Biden to withdraw from the campaign. After a week of increasingly more skepticism from Democrats, Vermont Senator Peter Welch became the first Democratic senator to publicly call for Biden to withdraw, citing Biden's debate performance and the potential risk of a Trump reelection.
Actor George Clooney, who campaigned with Biden weeks prior, also called for him to step down. It marked a notable shift for Biden's prospects as the candidate and opened the floodgates for others to come forward. Afterward, anonymous sources said former President Barack Obama was encouraging Biden to step down.
Biden's campaign initially dismissed the idea of him stepping down, but the chorus of calls from within his party grew too loud to ignore.
What Happens Now
With Biden stepping out of the race, the Democratic Party is now faced with the task of selecting a new nominee. Democrats will have to choose one by August 7 or face being kept off the ballot in Ohio. The easiest solution is to replace Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris. She can access his war chest since she's already on the FEC filings and the Biden campaign was reportedly conducting polling on her ability to win in November ahead of Biden's announcement.
The first immediate effect of Biden dropping out would be the reopening of the Democratic primary. Without Biden as the presumptive nominee, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) would need to facilitate a swift and organized process to nominate a new candidate. The pursuit could become contentious, as various Democratic leaders and potential candidates could step forward to vie for the nomination.
Potential candidates to replace Biden would likely include Harris, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Whoever the candidate is needs to garner enough delegates to avoid a contested convention and become the nominee before August 7.
A new Democratic candidate would need to quickly build or expand their campaign infrastructure, including fundraising, voter outreach and grassroots organizing. Biden's existing campaign apparatus, which includes key endorsements and substantial financial resources, would need to be transferred or repurposed to support the new nominee. If Harris isn't the nominee, Biden's war chest becomes harder for the new nominee to access. He'd most likely have to donate the money to the DNC, which then would allocate it to the new nominee.
The party's new nominee will face the challenge of unifying the Democratic base and mounting a strong campaign against Trump. Democrats are hoping that a new candidate can re-energize the party and help it with down-ballot races, giving them a higher chance of keeping the Senate and winning the House.
Update, 7/21/2024 at 2:21 p.m. ET: The article and headline were updated to reflect that Biden has now endorsed Harris.
Update, 7/21/2024 at 2:34 p.m. ET: The article was updated with Trump's comments to CNN.
Update, 7/21/2024 at 3:03 p.m. ET: Trump's comments on Truth Social were added.
Update, 7/21/2024 at 5:02 p.m. ET: Vance's comments were added.
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About the writer
Jenni Fink is a senior editor at Newsweek, based in New York. She leads the National News team, reporting on ... Read more