Joe Biden.
New Delhi: In a sudden but not entirely unexpected turn of events, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, has withdrawn from the country’s 2024 presidential race, on Sunday, mere months before the election scheduled for November. This decision comes in the wake of a poorly received debate performance against Donald Trump, which raised concerns about Biden’s capacity to serve another term.
After the debate debacle on June 27, in which he appeared confused and ineffective, calls within Biden’s Democratic party started growing louder for his withdrawal, with several prominent party members and donors voicing their apprehensions on the incumbent president’s ability to last another term.
In his announcement on X, Biden, 81, expressed gratitude for his time as president but stated his belief that stepping aside was best for the country and his party.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Soon after announcing that he is dropping out, Biden, who plans to complete his current term as the 46th president of the US, has thrown his support behind his vice-president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee. He has also urged his party to rally around her in the upcoming Chicago convention, which will take place this August.
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 move follows another recent political bombshell – an attempted assassination of Trump at a Pennsylvania rally just a week ago, as India Sentinels had reported.
Biden’s July withdrawal is historically unusual, occurring after millions of Democrats had already voted for him in the primaries. In contrast, Lyndon Johnson, who was the last US president to do so, in 1968, took the decision much earlier in the election cycle.
Harris has embraced Biden’s endorsement, vowing to unite the party and defeat Trump’s “extreme ‘Project 2025’ agenda”. She now faces significant challenges, including securing the nomination, choosing a running mate, and pivoting the existing campaign infrastructure to support her candidacy.
If elected, she would make history as the first woman and person of South Asian descent to become president.
The Democratic Party is scrambling to adapt to this sudden change, with many key figures already endorsing Harris. However, former president Barack Obama has withheld immediate support, pledging to back the eventual nominee.
This development drastically alters the political landscape for both parties. Democrats must quickly reorganize their nomination process and convince voters of Harris’s capability, while Trump must shift his campaign strategy to focus on a new opponent.
The Democratic National Convention, scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago, will now take on heightened significance as the party navigates this unexpected transition. However, it is expected that Harris will easily get the backing of enough of her party delegates to get the Democratic presidential ticket.
