Biden announcement makes him first US president to not seek reelection since 1968
President Biden announced Sunday he would drop out of the presidential race, making him the first president since 1968 to not seek reelection. Biden made the announcement on Sunday afternoon, with just 183 days left in his term, and 29 days before the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, 2024. On March 31, 1968, then President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not seek election with 295 days left in his term, and 148 days until the party convention. Before that, President Harry S. Truman announced he would not seek another term on March 29, 1952, and Calvin Coolidge announced he would not seek reelection on Aug. 2, 1927. BIDEN ENDS BID FOR SECOND TERM IN WHITE HOUSE AS HE DROPS OUT OF HIS 2024 REMATCH WITH TRUMP In U.S. history, only three presidents made and kept their promises to serve only one term. President Rutherford B. Hayes announced in advance that he would serve only one term, and when his term was up he retired to Spiegel Grove, his home in Fremont, Ohio, in 1981. President James Buchanan was another president who promised to serve only one term, and at the time, the nation was facing turmoil over slavery and nobody asked him to rescind his pledge. Finally, President James K. Polk kept his promise to not seek a second term. He was succeeded in office by Zachary Taylor, a hero from the Mexican War and a member of the opposing Whig Party who Polk also despised.
‘Not fit to serve’: Speaker Johnson leads GOP demands for Biden to resign from presidency
Republican lawmakers are calling on President Biden to resign from office immediately after he announced he will not seek re-election in November. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement, “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.” “If the Democrat party has deemed Joe Biden unfit to run for re-election, he’s certainly unfit to control our nuclear codes,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said minutes after the bombshell news broke. “Biden must step down from office immediately.” House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., similarly said, “If Joe Biden can’t run for re-election, he is unable and unfit to serve as President of the United States. He must immediately resign. The Democrat Party is in absolute free fall for their blatantly corrupt and desperate attempt to cover up the fact that Joe Biden is unfit for office.” TRUMP GETS BOOST IN POLLS AFTER BIDEN’S BOTCHED DEBATE “If Joe Biden is unfit to be the Democrat nominee for president, he’s unfit to be president for the rest of his term. For the good of the country, Joe Biden should resign immediately,” said Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern, R-Okla. The 81-year-old president has been under mounting pressure to drop out of the 2024 presidential race in the wake of his disastrous debate performance against former President Trump last month. His weak showing spurred concerns over whether he had the mental and physical stability to run a campaign and serve another four-year term. Biden finally bowed to that pressure on Sunday, writing in a public letter, “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 CAMPAIGN SENDS ‘ALL STAFF’ MEMO TO TRY AND STEM DEEP CONCERNS Democratic lawmakers who have called on Biden to drop out have insisted they are confident he can finish the roughly five months left in his term. Some of their arguments against his candidacy include that questions about his fitness for office are a distraction from the campaign, while others have said their concerns lie with where he will be four years down the road, rather than the immediate future. But Republicans who have long claimed Biden is not mentally fit for office have seized on his announcement as vindication of their doubts. CASH DASH: TRUMP TOPS BIDEN IN FUNDRAISING RACE Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., chair of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, said in a statement, “If Joe Biden is no longer capable of running for re-election, he is no longer capable of serving as President. Being President is the hardest job in the world, and I no longer have confidence that Joe Biden can effectively execute his duties as Commander-in-Chief. It is out of concern for our country’s national security that I am formally calling on President Biden to resign from office.” “If this man CAN’T run for President with an election in just 4 months then who’s running our country?” Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, wrote on X. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wrote on the platform, “Doesn’t have the mental acuity or cognitive ability to run a political campaign but can serve for 6 more months as president? He should resign.”
Trump says Biden ‘is not fit to serve’: ‘Who is going to be running the country for the next 5 months?’
Former President Trump said President Biden “was not fit to run for president” and is not — and “never was” fit to serve. The Republican presidential nominee was reacting to Biden’s stunning announcement Sunday afternoon that he is suspending his re-election campaign. “He is the worst president in the history of our country,” Trump told Fox News Digital in a phone interview Sunday afternoon. “There has never been a president so bad.” “He is not fit to serve,” Trump continued. “And I ask — who is going to be running the country for the next five months?” The former president also reportedly told CNN on Sunday that he believes Vice President Kamala Harris would be easier to defeat in November’s election. BIDEN ENDS BID FOR SECOND TERM IN WHITE HOUSE AS HE DROPS OUT OF HIS 2024 REMATCH WITH TRUMP Trump also posted on his Truth Social Sunday afternoon, writing, “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.” Trump said that “all those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t.” “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.” He added: “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump’s comments come one week after he survived an assassination attempt and just days after formally becoming the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. Biden announced Sunday that he will suspend his 2024 re-election campaign amid mounting pressure from his Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill, top donors and Hollywood stars after a disastrous debate performance last month. The unprecedented announcement came as an increasing number of Democrat lawmakers had begun to publicly call for Biden to step aside and the party’s leadership reportedly was engaged in efforts to convince Biden, 81, he could not win in November’s general election against Trump, the 2024 GOP nominee who Biden defeated four years ago to win the White House. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden wrote in a public letter. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.” TRUMP PREACHES UNITY AS HE ACCEPTS GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION DAYS AFTER SURVIVING ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Biden said he will formally address the nation later this week about his decision. “For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected,” Biden wrote. “I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.” Biden added: “I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do — when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.” Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday, a revelation that came on the heels of several TV interviews and campaign appearances in which the president insisted he was remaining in the race. But the interviews failed to reassure supporters and provided critics — including those on the left — with further evidence that Biden was no longer up to the job. Biden delivered a strong welcome address to world leaders at last week’s NATO summit in Washington, D.C. The showcase served as an opportunity to prove he was fit to continue his current term and eager and able to lead the nation for another four years. For a time, it seemed Biden could survive the surge of calls for him to quit the race after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced that they backed Biden’s bid. But Biden, who has long been known for a propensity to commit gaffes, continued to stumble. His missteps included a glaring error on the world stage at the NATO summit. While speaking on live television, Biden referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “Putin,” name-checking Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Zelenskyy’s Ukraine has precipitated more than two years of hellish war. Questions over whether Biden would end his campaign remained the top political story heading into last weekend. But two blockbuster developments in rapid succession — the attempted assassination of Trump at the former president’s rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday and Trump’s naming Monday at the Republican National Convention of Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate — briefly halted the fervor over Biden for a couple of days. But the call on Wednesday by Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic Senate nominee in California, for Biden to end his campaign, as well as reporting that top Democrats such as Schumer, Jeffries and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had frank conversations with Biden, quickly reignited the political crisis for the president. Biden’s stunning announcement occurred during the roughest stretch of what was a more than year-long campaign for a second term. Doubts about his viability at the top of the Democratic Party’s 2024 ticket began seeping out into the mainstream after his halting delivery and awkward answers were placed on full display for a national audience during June’s presidential debate with Trump in Atlanta.
Biden endorses Kamala Harris after bowing out of 2024 race
President Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after announcing he is dropping out of the 2024 run for re-election. “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,” Biden posted on X Sunday afternoon “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 continued. Biden announced just minutes before he endorsed Harris that he is dropping out of the presidential race. BIDEN ENDS BID FOR SECOND TERM IN WHITE HOUSE AS HE DROPS OUT OF HIS 2024 REMATCH WITH TRUMP “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, 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 his letter posted to X Sunday afternoon. Biden continued that he will address the nation in detail on the decision “later this week.” As of Sunday afternoon, Harris has not tweeted about Biden dropping out. BIDEN DEFIANTLY CHARGES AHEAD WITH ELECTION RUN DESPITE SPECULATION HE WOULD DROP OUT THIS WEEKEND He thanked Harris for her work in the administration, but stopped short of offering her his endorsement in his initial letter. Harris has been considered the top choice to replace Biden ahead of the president officially dropping out. Democrats’ calls had mounted for weeks that Biden should drop out of the race, following his disastrous debate performance on June 27, which put his mental fitness under further scrutiny as he stumbled over his words and appeared more subdued than in previous years. As early as Sunday morning, however, Biden allies and the campaign doubled down that the president would not bow out of the race. TRUMP GETS BOOST IN POLLS AFTER BIDEN’S BOTCHED DEBATE “It is false. And I think that it is false to continue to try to gin up this narrative. Joe Biden has said he is in this race,” deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks said on MSNBC on Sunday. “He is in this race to win it. He is instructing us to continue to carry out a plan to make sure that we are communicating [to as] many voters as possible. Actions speak louder than words, although sometimes, in this case, I wish that our words would speak louder so that people would stop asking this question. But we are doing both. The president has doubled down and said that he is running in this race to win it, and that he is not going anywhere.” Biden dropping out comes as former President Trump was officially nominated as the Republican Party’s choice for president. Trump joined the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last week, where he announced Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate and accepted the nomination. The RNC was held just two days after an assassination attempt nearly ended Trump’s life, leaving him with an injury to his right ear. A shooter opened fire on Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last Saturday, injuring Trump and two others, and killing a 50-year-old married dad who was protecting his wife and family from the gunfire. SEN. JOE MANCHIN CALLS ON BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE, PASS TORCH TO ‘A NEW GENERATION’ Trump addressed the shooting in his highly anticipated RNC speech, while noting “you’ll never hear it from me a second time, because it’s actually too painful to tell.” KAMALA HARRIS REASSURES DEMOCRATIC PARTY DONORS THAT THERE’S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT “I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” he said. “I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God. And watching the reports over the last few days, many people say it was a providential moment. Probably was.” CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for the love shown by that giant audience of patriots that stood bravely on that fateful evening in Pennsylvania,” he added.
‘Proud of our president’: Dems heap praise on Biden for decision to end 2024 campaign
Democrat politicians lavished President Biden with praise and predictions of a great legacy following his announcement that he is ending his re-election bid just months before the November election. “President Biden has been an extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans. He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents. Thank you, @JoeBiden,” Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., wrote on X just minutes following the revelation. Newsom has been speculated as a potential Democratic candidate for president in 2024 for roughly a year, despite his own dismissals of the idea on several occasions. He has been one of Biden’s most high-profile surrogates on the campaign trail, continuing to promote Biden even after his poor debate performance last month. WHAT COMES NEXT FOR DEMOCRATS AFTER BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN SUSPENSION? Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement, “Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader, but he is a truly amazing human being. His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first.” “Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American,” he added. FROM DEBATE CATASTROPHE TO STANDING DOWN: BIDEN’S ROAD TO THE EXIT Schumer had been made aware of the decision of vulnerable Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., to call on Biden to drop last week and told him to do what he thought was best, a source with knowledge told Fox News Digital. Another Democrat whose name has been the subject of presidential speculation, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, was also among the first to react: “President Biden is a great public servant who knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump. His remarkable work to lower prescription drug costs, fix the damn roads, bring supply chains home, address climate change, and ensure America’s global leadership over decades will go down in history,” she said on X. BIDEN ENDS BID FOR SECOND TERM IN WHITE HOUSE AS HE DROPS OUT OF HIS 2024 REMATCH WITH TRUMP “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,” Whitmer wrote. Biden made the announcement of his campaign suspension in a Sunday afternoon letter, which he posted to X. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” the president wrote. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., praised him as well, claiming he “always put country first.” “Now the Democratic Party must unite behind a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump and keep America moving in the right direction. I will do everything in my power to help that effort,” he said. His decision comes just weeks after his debate against former President Trump, during which his performance was widely criticized. In the days following, a total of 37 congressional Democrats and those who caucus with them had pushed Biden to step aside. Following the announcement, Biden made a second post, endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee for president. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
READ IT: Biden drops out of 2024 race with letter
President Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday with a letter. You can read the full letter below: My Fellow Americans, Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation. Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today. I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world. WHAT COMES NEXT AFTER FOR DEMOCRATS AFTER BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN SUSPENSION? 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. FROM DEBATE CATASTROPHE TO STANDING DOWN: BIDEN’S ROAD TO THE EXIT I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision. For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see mereelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me. I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.
From debate catastrophe to standing down: Biden’s road to the exit
What started as a bad debate ended with the suspension of an incumbent’s presidential campaign. On Sunday, the president officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential race against former President Donald Trump. Here is a timeline of the downfall of Biden’s re-election campaign: Biden participated in the first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump on June 27, igniting immediate concern within his party over his fitness after he was seen speaking with a raspy voice, jumbling up his words, and struggling to complete full sentences. Biden blamed a cold, recent international travel, and one “bad night” for the performance – but this did not ease concern over the commander in chief’s health status. Concerns over his fitness, mental competency, and overall strength as a candidate quickly overtook conversation on the campaign trail and on Capitol Hill – the initial spiral of his campaign. Biden attempted to divert the conversation by assuring he would not drop out of the race and “isn’t going anywhere,” but his efforts were unsuccessful. Within days of the debate, the first Democrat member of Congress called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, citing concerns over his ability to beat Trump in November. On July 2, just five days after the debate, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, became he first of many to break from their party’s nominee. “Instead of reassuring voters, the president failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies,” Doggett said in a statement. “I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so.” July 8 – Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash.: “He has health care concerns. You saw that at the White House press conference today, where there were not clear answers given. So I just think at, this point, there are other people that could deliver that message better. And the stakes are so high.” July 9 – Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J.: “I realize this is hard, but we have done hard things in the pursuit of democracy since the founding of this nation. It is time to do so again. And because I know President Biden cares deeply about the future of our country, I am asking that he declare that he won’t run for reelection and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee.” CAMPAIGN CRISIS: DEMS WHO HAVE CALLED FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT OR RAISED CONCERNS ABOUT HIS HEALTH July 10 – Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., “We cannot unsee President Biden’s disastrous debate performance. We cannot ignore or dismiss the valid questions raised since that night.” July 12 – George Clooney: “We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate. This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.” Within two weeks of the debate, nearly two dozen Democratic representatives had called on Biden to be replaced as the nominee. The president was seen making several new gaffes in the crucial days following his performance at the first presidential debate, only elevating concern over his mental competency. Biden accidentally introduced Russian President Vladimir Putin instead of the intended speaker, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the 2024 NATO Summit. “And now I want to hand it over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen President Putin,” Biden said, walking away from the podium before shuffling back and correcting himself. “We’re going to beat President Putin.” Asked about Vice President Harris’ ability to win in November if she were the Democrat nominee, Biden referred to Trump as being his vice president. “Look, I wouldn’t’ve picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, did I think she’s not qualified to be president,” Biden said during a July news conference. After the assassination attempt of Trump, Biden said “in America, we resolve our differences at the battle box.” The White House transcription of the speech was edited with the word “battle” crossed out a “ballot” added next to it. Former President Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, suffering a gunshot wound to the ear in the shooting that took the life of one rally attendee. On that same day, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reportedly “conveyed the views of his caucus directly to President Biden” during a one-on-one meeting in Delaware. Biden, who condemned the attack, saw some relief for his campaign in the days following the Trump rally shooting, but the Democratic push for him to drop out was far from over. Calls for Biden to be replaced as the nominee resurfaced, with reports that the president’s most loyal confidants in House and Senate leadership were asking the president to consider dropping out of the race. On July 17, top House Democrat and California Senate candidate Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called on Biden to drop out. “A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the president can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Schiff said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Former President Barack Obama reportedly told his allies that he believes Biden needs to reconsider his candidacy, the Washington Post reported, citing multiple people briefed on his thinking.
What comes next after for Democrats after Biden’s campaign suspension?
With only months until the presidential election and once-presumptive nominee President Biden no longer in the race, the next steps for the Democratic Party may seem somewhat unclear. Here is what you need to know about the Democratic Party’s nominating process following Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 race. Biden was the presumptive nominee for his party, having secured the vast majority of its delegates, which were awarded after primary elections this year. But now that the president has withdrawn, the delegates are no longer pledged to him and are free to vote as they choose. MAJORITY OF DEMOCRATS THINK KAMALA HARRIS WOULD BE A GOOD PRESIDENT, POLL SHOWS Now, any eligible candidate can run for the nomination. Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., are often mentioned in the media. If Biden endorses a candidate, that person would have a clear advantage. In order to become a candidate, someone must receive signatures from at least 300 delegates. A maximum of 50 can come from each state delegation. BIDEN’S DEM ALLIES FEEL ‘INEVITABILITY’ THAT PRESIDENT WILL BE REPLACED To win the nomination, a candidate must receive the vote of a majority of pledged delegates at the party’s roll call vote, which would be 1,976 or more delegates. This is not a “popular” or “public” vote. MSNBC GUEST REVEALS ENTHUSIASM GAP BETWEEN DEMS, REPUBLICANS The Democratic primaries, which were such votes, have already happened throughout 2024. Biden won almost all those contests and was therefore awarded almost all the pledged Democratic delegates. The only step left in the process is for delegates to formally nominate a candidate during the party’s “roll call vote.” This is the regular part of the nominating process that would have occurred even without Biden ending his campaign. If no candidate reaches a majority in the first round of the roll call, then multiple rounds of voting take place, and superdelegates can also vote. At the Democratic convention a superdelegate is an automatically credentialed delegate — such as party leaders, governors and members of Congress. No deadlines have passed that would prevent or lock out another eligible Democratic candidate from appearing on a general election ballot. The Democrats are currently expected to formally nominate a candidate in August but before meeting at their convention, in a “virtual” roll call. The process and schedule could, however, still change. A change in candidacy after that point would be settled by the Democratic National Convention. It would certainly be a political disaster and, as time passes, could also present legal and logistical challenges. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub
Biden ends bid for second term in White House as he drops out of his 2024 rematch with Trump
President Biden announced Sunday that he will suspend his 2024 re-election campaign amid mounting pressure from his Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill, top donors and Hollywood stars after a disastrous debate performance last month. The unprecedented announcement came as an increasing number of Democrat lawmakers had begun to publicly call for Biden to step aside and the party’s leadership reportedly was engaged in efforts to convince Biden, 81, he could not win in November’s general election against former President Trump, the 2024 GOP nominee who Biden defeated four years ago to win the White House. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden wrote in a public letter. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.” Biden said he will formally address the nation later this week about his decision. “For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected,” Biden wrote. “I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.” Biden added: “I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.” Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday, a revelation that came on the heels of several TV interviews and campaign appearances in which the president insisted he was remaining in the race. But the interviews failed to reassure supporters and provided critics – including those on the left – with further evidence that Biden was no longer up to the job. Biden had delivered a strong welcome address to world leaders at last week’s NATO summit in Washington D.C. The showcase served as an opportunity to prove he was fit to continue his current term and eager and able to lead the nation for another four years. For a time, it seemed Biden could survive the surge of calls for him to quit the race after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that they backed Biden’s bid. But Biden, who has long been known for a propensity to commit gaffes, continued to stumble. His missteps included a glaring error on the world stage at the NATO summit. While speaking on live television, Biden referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “Putin,” name-checking Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Zelenskyy’s Ukraine has precipitated more than two years of hellish war. Questions over whether Biden would end his campaign remained the top political story heading into last weekend. But two blockbuster developments in rapid succession – the attempted assassination of Trump at the former president’s rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday and Trump’s naming Monday at the Republican National Convention of Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate – briefly halted the fervor over Biden for a couple of days. But the call on Wednesday by Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic Senate nominee in California, for Biden to end his campaign, as well as reporting that top Democrats such as Schumer, Jeffries, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had frank conversations with Biden, quickly reignited the political crisis for the president. Biden’s stunning announcement occurred during the roughest stretch of what was a more than year-long campaign for a second term. Doubts about his viability at the top of the Democratic Party’s 2024 ticket began seeping out into the mainstream after his halting delivery and awkward answers were placed on full display for a national audience during June’s presidential debate with Trump in Atlanta. The performance sparked widespread panic within the president’s party and almost immediately spurred calls from political pundits, editorial writers and some party donors for Biden to step aside as the party’s 2024 standard-bearer. TRUMP GETS BOOST IN POLLS AFTER BIDEN’S BOTCHED DEBATE As Biden struggled to regain his footing, an increasing number of House Democrats publicly urged the president to end his re-election bid. Biden huddled with worried Democrats, including governors and congressional leaders, in the wake of the debate debacle and also was engaged in “working the phones,” according to campaign officials. He started last week in a defiant posture, sending a letter to congressional Democrats in which he vowed that he was committed to campaigning against and beating Trump in November. Biden also urged lawmakers to stop focusing on the debate and end the calls for his withdrawal – pleas that he said only helped Trump. Biden followed that up with a call with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and also gained the support of members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. But concerns mounted and intensified. Democrat lawmakers met behind closed doors hoping to come to a consensus and support the president, but some were hesitant. The Biden campaign met with Senate Democrats on Capitol Hill and, for days, the White House and the Biden campaign – and the president himself – said Biden had no intention of dropping out of the race. BIDEN CAMPAIGN SENDS ‘ALL STAFF’ MEMO TO TRY AND STEM DEEP CONCERNS White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had told reporters that the president was “absolutely not” considering dropping out. And Quentin Fulks, the principal deputy Biden campaign manager, emphasized that “the president is in this race to win it. He is the Democratic nominee.” On the day after the presidential debate, Biden acknowledged at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, “I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious.” “Folks, I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as
Biden fundraiser warns of ‘catastrophic mistake,’ says big-money donations have ‘suddenly disappeared’
Top Democratic fundraiser Lindy Li says it is getting more and more difficult to bring in donations for President Biden’s re-election campaign as calls for him to withdraw continue to mount. Li made the statement during an appearance on Fox News Sunday with host Shannon Bream. Bream pressed Li on whether Biden should stay in the race and whether Vice President Kamala Harris is the right candidate to replace him. “Fundraising has — big money fundraising has slowed. People — major donors who have pledged massive amounts of checks, and I’m talking six, seven — seven-figure checks have suddenly disappeared, fallen off the face of the Earth, rescinded their pledges,” Li said. “It’s just hard because a lot of these people are successful business people and they see the election as a business proposition. And they would only bet on a campaign if it’s a winning prospect. But it’s just — I wish I had better news, but I’m also not here to give you talking points. This is just the truth,” she added. SEN. JOE MANCHIN CALLS ON BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE, PASS TORCH TO ‘A NEW GENERATION’ Bream then asked about Harris and whether she is the best candidate to take Biden’s place if he withdraws. BIDEN RESPONDS TO ‘DISENCHANTMENT’ FROM BLACK VOTERS: ‘THEY KNOW WHERE MY HEART IS’ “Skipping over Kamala Harris would be political malpractice. Full stop, end of story. The base — our base, Black Americans in particular, is why we defeated Trump at all,” Li responded. “It’s not my place to tell President Biden what to do but if he were to step aside, Vice President Kamala Harris would be an excellent candidate. She’s a consummate prosecutor and she’s out there every single day effectively prosecuting the case, litigating the case against convicted felon Trump,” she said. “It would be a catastrophic mistake to skip over her,” she said. While Biden and his staff have publicly insisted that he is staying in the race, the 81-year-old is reportedly now asking whether Harris could win, according to the New York Times. Several polls show Harris matching or even exceeding Biden’s performance against Trump as waves of Democrats call on Biden to withdraw. 65% OF DEMOCRATS SAY BIDEN SHOULD DROP OUT AFTER DEBATE DISASTER, POLL FINDS Harris stands as the most obvious candidate to replace Biden thanks in large part to her presumed access to the Biden-Harris war chest should the president withdraw. Any other candidate would face an uncertain path to accessing the tens of millions of dollars donated throughout the race. The White House pushed back on the Times report in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying Biden is locked in on campaigning. “That claim is false and The New York Times did not ask us about it. As Jen O’Malley Dillon said, he ‘is more committed than ever.’ And as you heard from the President, he looks forward to campaigning this week,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates.