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]
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