Biden aides learned of his withdrawal by tweet - report says
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Over the past three weeks, President Biden had been insistent that he is staying in the presidential race against Donald Trump. That changed on Sunday, July 21, when he announced to the world that he was no longer running for President. One news agency says that he even surprised people in his inner circle.
The decision to drop out of the Presidential race comes about three weeks after a debate disaster for the President. During the June 27 debate, Biden's delivery was halted and he appeared to lose his train of thought many times.
The shocking announcement came as dozens of Democratic officials called on him to step down. According to Politico, Biden's social media letter was a surprise to everyone – including his aides.
Politico reported that White House and campaign aides were insisting that he would stay in the race up until the afternoon. They found out that Biden was stepping down the same way that everyone else did – via a social media post.
Additionally, eight minutes after posting the social media letter, the campaign sent out a fundraising email for "Joe and Kamala".
The letter in which U.S. President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from candidacy is being displayed on a mobile phone screen in front of a computer screen displaying a photo of President Biden on July 21, 2024 in Ankara, Turkiye. (Photo by Muhamm
Supporters – including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama – had both reportedly called on the 81-year-old Biden to step aside. CNN reported that Pelosi told Biden he could ruin Democrats' prospects of winning the House in November if he stays in the race. The Washington Post said Obama told allies this week that Biden needs to reconsider his candidacy.
As recently as Friday, campaign officials said Biden was committed to staying in the race as calls for him to step aside intensified.
The question for Democrats is, with three-and-a-half months to Election Day, who will be the one to challenge Trump?
If Biden has his say, it will be his Vice President Kamala Harris.
"My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this," Biden wrote.