Joe Biden withdraws from election. News. After many people in his party told President Joe Biden to step aside, he did so on Sunday, saying he would not run for re-election. This made him a one-term president.
Biden posted on social media that he was ending his 2024 campaign against former President Donald Trump, who is the Republican nominee for the third time. He had defeated Trump in the 2020 election. Biden posted on social media that he was ending his 2024 campaign against former President Donald Trump, who is the Republican nominee for the third time. Biden had defeated Trump in the 2020 election.
Half an hour later, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee against Trump in the November 5th election. If chosen, Harris would be the first Black woman and South Asian major party presidential nominee in U.S. history.
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Biden’s poll numbers had dropped since a bad debate performance against Trump in June, where he seemed to lose his train of thought and struggled to defend his time in office. This led some Democrats to think Biden, at 81, would lose to Trump, 78.
Biden had said he wouldn’t quit unless he was told by God, saw that he couldn’t beat Trump in the polls, or his doctors advised against it.
On Sunday, Biden said it was best for his party and the country if he stepped down and focused on his duties as president for the rest of his term, which ends in January. He issued the statement shortly after informing his senior staff, according to The Associated Press.
Biden called Harris an “extraordinary partner” and gave her his “full support and endorsement” to be the party’s nominee. He said he would talk more about his decision later in the week. The White House said Biden spoke to several Congress members, governors, and supporters on Sunday and would continue to do so.
Harris, who is 59, quickly announced she would run for the nomination. She was a senator from California when Biden chose her as his vice presidential running mate in 2020 after her own campaign fell apart.
Her approval ratings are similar to Biden’s, but some polls show her doing slightly better against Trump, with a few even showing her ahead. Harris said in a statement that Biden, by stepping aside, was putting the American people and the country first, as he always has in his life of service.