Downward angle icon An icon in the shape of a downward angle. President Joe Biden has announced he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images President Joe Biden is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race. The decision comes after his disastrous performances in the presidential debates sent shock waves through the party. With polls showing Biden losing to Trump, Democrats are hoping a new candidate will improve their chances.
In a surprising about-face, President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he was withdrawing his 2024 reelection bid.
“Though I had intended to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to step aside and focus on fulfilling the duties of my presidency for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in the letter posted to X. “I will speak to the nation in more detail about this decision later this week.”
Biden on Sunday confirmed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor in the Oval Office.
The president’s decision to not seek reelection came just weeks after his disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump in late June.
Biden struggled to give coherent answers to numerous questions, rekindling concerns about his age that have simmered among Democrats for months. Pressure grew for Biden to resign in the days after the debate, with a growing number of Democrats urging the 81-year-old president to step down.
The White House appeared to thwart any large-scale protests by lawmakers, but as they returned to Washington, more appeared unwilling to accept Biden’s decision to continue the campaign.
Earlier this month, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “it’s up to the president to decide whether or not he runs,” an odd move given that Biden had already said he would not run and would continue campaigning.
Polls have long shown Biden trailing Trump nationally and in key battleground states, and the debate was meant to be a key opportunity for the president to turn the race around. Instead, some national polls have shown Biden solidifying his lead. Election forecasters have also said he could move Minnesota and New Hampshire closer to Trump, and that states like New Mexico could become more competitive.
Biden campaign officials acknowledged Thursday that the president has taken some steps back since the debate but stressed that Trump can still win.
“We still have a long way to go until Election Day and a lot of uncertainty, and while the July polls should not be overestimated, the data suggests we have a clear path to victory,” Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote in a memo to staff.
This is the first time in recent American history that a major party has had to change its candidate so close to a general election.
In 1968, incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson dropped out of the race amid widespread protests over his handling of the Vietnam War, but he did so in the middle of the primaries, giving Democrats ample time to field another candidate.
Vice President Hubert Humphrey ultimately claimed the nomination in a chaotic convention in Chicago, but lost to Richard Nixon.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
