Withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 United States presidential election

Withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 United States presidential election
Part of the presidency of Joe Biden and the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Biden speaking about his earlier decision to withdraw his candidacy in an Oval Office address, July 24, 2024
DateJuly 21, 2024 (2024-07-21)
Outcome
  • Biden will vacate the presidency on January 20, 2025.
  • Launch of the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign on July 21, 2024.
  • Harris officially became the Democratic presidential candidate on August 6, 2024.

On July 21, 2024, Joe Biden, the incumbent president of the United States, announced his withdrawal from the 2024 United States presidential election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.

Biden, a Democrat, had announced that he would run for re-election in the 2024 presidential election on April 25, 2023, with Harris again as his running mate.[1] Biden won an overwhelming majority of delegates in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries and was already considered the presumptive nominee before the primaries were over. However, public concerns about Biden's age and health had emerged during his presidency, particularly about his fitness for the office and ability to carry out a second term.

These concerns spiked after a debate between Biden and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Biden's performance was widely criticized, with commentators noting he frequently lost his train of thought and gave meandering answers, had a faltering appearance, spoke with a hoarse voice, and failed to recall statistics or coherently express his opinion on several occasions.[2] Biden subsequently faced calls to withdraw from the race from fellow Democrats[3] and from the editorial boards of major news outlets.[4][5] By July 19, 2024, more than 30 senior Democrats had called for him to withdraw.[6]

Biden repeatedly insisted for weeks after the debate that he would remain a candidate, despite numerous calls for him to withdraw.[7] However, on July 21, 2024, he withdrew his candidacy via a signed letter posted on his personal X account, writing that this was "in the best interest of my party and the country", while stating that he would continue serving as president until the conclusion of his term.[8] Biden was the first incumbent president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 to withdraw from a reelection race, the first since the 19th century to withdraw after serving only one term,[a] and the only one to withdraw after already winning the primaries.[9][11]

  1. ^ Miller, Zeke (April 25, 2023). "Biden announces 2024 reelection bid: 'Let's finish this job'". Associated Press. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on July 28, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  2. ^
  3. ^ Allen, Jonathan (June 28, 2024). "Some Democrats start calling for Biden to step aside and 'throw in the towel' on 2024". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "To Serve His Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race". The New York Times. June 28, 2024. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  5. ^ Robertson, Nick (June 30, 2024). "These major media outlets have called for Biden to drop out". The Hill. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Tait, Robert; Gambino, Lauren (July 19, 2024). "Pressure mounts on Biden as tally of Democrats urging withdrawal passes 30". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  7. ^ Keith, Tamara; Shivaram, Deepa (July 3, 2024). "'I'm in this race to the end,' Biden tells campaign staffers". NPR. Archived from the original on July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  8. ^ Shear, Michael D. (July 21, 2024). "Live Updates: Biden Drops Out of Presidential Race, Endorses Harris". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 21, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Klassen, Thomas (July 21, 2024). "Biden steps aside, setting in motion an unprecedented period in American politics". The Conversation. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  10. ^ Gendler, Alex (July 23, 2024). "US presidents who did not seek reelection". Voice of America. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  11. ^ Kenning, Chris; Samuelsohn, Darren. "'It's unprecedented': Biden's exit is a history-making moment in the American presidency". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.


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