President Biden says he will step aside, not seek reelection
President Biden says he is ending his campaign for a second term in office, a reversal that follows growing pressure from his own party after his debate performance against former President Donald Trump in June.
The decision makes Biden the first president to not seek reelection since Lyndon Johnson in 1968, and leaves the Democratic Party without a clear standard bearer just weeks ahead of their nominating convention. Biden made the announcement in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
— The decision came amid growing worry by Democrats that Biden had failed to reassure voters about concerns over his age in his debate against Trump.
— Biden had sought to bounce back from his debate performance and promised donors he would be "fighting harder," but his efforts were not enough to quell concerns within the party.
— At the debate, the president, 81, appeared slow and was unable to articulate a coherent position on even Democrats’ most important issue: abortion. His showing left Democrats struggling to defend his performance.
It's been a whirlwind summer in politics. Here's a quick timeline
Historic political developments just keep coming. Here's a look back at some of the many major moments from the past few weeks:
May 30: Former President Donald Trump is found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the outcome of the 2016 election — aka the Stormy Daniels hush money case — becoming the first U.S. president convicted of criminal charges.
June 27: President Biden and Trump face off in a televised debate on CNN, with Biden's poor performance raising alarms among Democrats about the strength of his candidacy.
July 1: A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling grants Trump (and all presidents) substantial immunity from prosecution, a controversial decision all but certain to delay Trump's election interference case beyond November.
July 13: Trump survives an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, sparking elected officials' calls for unity, scrutiny on his Secret Service protection and an outpouring of support for the former president, just days before the Republican National Convention.
July 15-18: At the RNC, Trump announces Ohio SenatorJD Vance as his running mate and the two accept their nominations. Republican politicians, family members, celebrities and voters show their support for the ticket in speeches over several days.
July 15: A district judge in Florida dismisses the classified documents case against Trump, citing issues in how special counsel Jack Smith was appointed. Smith has appealed the decision.
July 17: Biden tests positive for COVID-19. He enters quarantine in Delaware amidst the raging debate over his political future. Biden insisted he'd run, saying earlier this month that only the "Lord almighty"or a medical condition would change his mind.
July 21: Biden announces he will not seek re-election and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris.
First lady Jill Biden responds to President Biden's statement
First lady Jill Biden reshared President Biden's statement, adding a heart emoji.
The Bidens have been married nearly 50 years and Jill Biden has been a constant figure throughout President Biden's career.
It's been a whirlwind summer in politics. Here's a quick timeline
Historic political developments just keep coming. Here's a look back at some of the many major moments from the past few weeks:
May 30: Former President Donald Trump is found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the outcome of the 2016 election — aka the Stormy Daniels hush money case — becoming the first U.S. president convicted of criminal charges.
June 27: President Biden and Trump face off in a televised debate on CNN, with Biden's poor performance raising alarms among Democrats about the strength of his candidacy.
July 1: A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling grants Trump (and all presidents) substantial immunity from prosecution, a controversial decision all but certain to delay Trump's election interference case beyond November.
July 13: Trump survives an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, sparking elected officials' calls for unity, scrutiny on his Secret Service protection and an outpouring of support for the former president, just days before the Republican National Convention.
July 15-18: At the RNC, Trump announces Ohio SenatorJD Vance as his running mate and the two accept their nominations. Republican politicians, family members, celebrities and voters show their support for the ticket in speeches over several days.
July 15: A district judge in Florida dismisses the classified documents case against Trump, citing issues in how special counsel Jack Smith was appointed. Smith has appealed the decision.
July 17: Biden tests positive for COVID-19. He enters quarantine in Delaware amidst the raging debate over his political future. Biden insisted he'd run, saying earlier this month that only the "Lord almighty"or a medical condition would change his mind.
July 21: Biden announces he will not seek re-election and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris.
What happens now that Biden’s dropped out of the race
Now that Biden has officially dropped out of the race, there are questions about who becomes the Democratic nominee — and how they do it.
Nothing in the U.S. Constitution dictates how party candidates are chosen.
Because Biden easily won the Democratic primaries and caucuses earlier this year, delegates to the Democratic National Convention are currently “bound” to him, according to Democratic National Committee rules. But Biden has said they’re free to do whatever they want.
The DNC had also been planning a virtual roll call vote ahead of the August convention in Chicago, which could be more complicated now.
If the party doesn’t coalesce around one nominee, the weeks before the convention could be a race to woo the roughly 4,700 convention delegates expected to attend the event, which could turn into a competitive open convention with potentially multiple rounds of voting.
Prominent pro-Biden young voter group says it's all in for Harris
President Biden had been struggling with young voters, and now some of the Gen Z groups that had stood by him are pivoting following his announcement to drop out of the race.
Voters of Tomorrow, which focuses on mobilizing young voters to turn out for Democrats, released a statement praising Biden for his first-term record and looking ahead to Harris' prospects.
"We thank President Joe Biden for delivering the most pro-youth agenda in American history. He saved democracy in 2020, rebuilt the economy, delivered the largest-ever climate action investment, and passed the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in our lifetime," according to the statement.
While Voters of Tomorrow loyally stood by Biden throughout his reelection run and defended his candidacy, a handful of youth-run groups had been more critical of the president, urging him to go further on policy to address climate change and push for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Trump responds to Biden's announcement, calling him unfit for office
In a post on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump acknowledged Biden's announcement and said Biden was neither fit to run nor serve as president.
"He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement," Trump said, alluding again to his false claims that he won the 2020 election.
He added that the Biden administration is to blame for issues along the southern border, but vowed to "remedy" what he claims Biden is responsible for.
"We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, had already been attacking the Biden-Harris administration, and Democrats more broadly. At a rally in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Saturday, Trump and Vance took their campaign debut as an opportunity to rail against the uncertainty that had grown behind Biden's bid.
"[Democrats] have no idea who their candidate is, and neither do we. That’s a problem,” Trump said Saturday. “So we will see. Hopefully they get it worked out.”
Trump also personally attacked Harris in that speech, calling her "crazy."
Top House Republicans call on Biden to resign
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik both called for Biden to step down not only as the Democratic presidential nominee, but as president.
Minutes after Biden posted his decision to drop out on X, Stefanik released a statement saying, "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."
Johnson followed suit minutes later, with his own 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.”
Read the president's full statement on his decision
President Biden said in a statement on Sunday that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," he wrote. "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 thanked Vice President Kamala Harris and touted some accomplishments from his more than three years in office, including putting the first African American woman on the Supreme Court, combatting the COVID-19 pandemic and boasting "the strongest economy in the world."
The Democrat said he would speak the nation later this week to explain his decision in more detail.
"And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me," Biden said. "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."
