Biden cancels re-election bid, upending White House contest
In an unprecedented move that upends the already dramatic contest for the White House, US President Joe Biden has withdrawn his re-election candidacy and supported Vice-President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic nominee.
In a written statement released on Sunday, Mr. Biden, 81, stated that while serving was the “greatest honor,” his resignation was “in the best interest of my party and the country.”
The announcement brings an end to a turbulent time in US politics that started on June 27 with his occasionally rambling debate performance against Donald Trump. According to Mr. Biden, he will hold the presidency until January.
In addition to stating that she would “earn and win this nomination” and unify the nation against Trump, Ms. Harris,59, said she was “honoured” to have the endorsement.
“We have 107 days until election day,” she stated. We’re going to battle together. And we’ll succeed together.”
Although a number of prominent party figures have endorsed Ms. Harris, she has not yet received an official nomination, and that may not occur until the Democratic National Convention in August.
Five days after escaping an attempted assassination, a resurgent Trump has surged ahead in polls and was officially announced as the Republican nominee at this week’s party convention in Milwaukee.
Mr. Biden said that the president “was not fit to run… and is certainly not fit to serve” after making his decision. Along with him, several prominent Republicans expressed their disapproval and demanded that Mr. Biden quit the White House and the Democratic nomination immediately.
Potential competitors of Harris fall in line
Although the president had spoken to Ms. Harris and a few other people beforehand, sources told the BBC that even senior White House personnel and campaign officials were only informed of Mr. Biden’s decision seconds before the statement was made public on Sunday afternoon.
Numerous prominent Democrats and Democrats at large, such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and President Barack Obama, instantly applauded the choice and Mr. Biden’s achievements while in office.
As the party’s nominee for the November election, Kamala Harris was endorsed by former president Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who pledged to “fight with everything we’ve got to elect her”.
Mr. Obama did not openly support Ms. Harris or any other candidate, even if he expressed his “extraordinary confidence” that a “outstanding nominee emerges”.
I have not heard from Ms. Pelosi.
First among Democrats to urge Biden to withdraw from his reelection campaign, Senator Peter Welch called for a “open process” to choose Harris’s opponent.
However, there are already indications that a large number of party members will unite behind her, including prominent leaders who were tipped to challenge Mr. Biden for the nomination should he step down.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California, who is rumored to be a presidential candidate, complimented Mr. Biden as “selfless” and stated that he supported Ms. Harris because she was “fearless” and “tenacious” in her opposition to Trump.
“I will do everything in my power to help elect Kamala Harris as the 47th President of the United States,” declared Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Former presidential candidate and current transport secretary Pete Buttigieg called Joe Biden “one of the most consequential presidents in American history” and pledged to “do everything in my power to help elect Kamala Harris the next President.”
Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, declared that her duties “will remain the same… doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump.”
Concurrently, the DNC submitted a request to change the names of its fundraising committees to the Harris Action Fund and Harris Victory Fund.
Reid Hoffman, a co-funder of LinkedIn, and financier Alexander Soros, two significant Democratic contributors, openly supported Harris.
Additionally, an advertisement criticizing Ms. Harris with the accusation that “she covered up Joe’s obvious mental decline” was posted by the pro-Trump super-PAC campaign fund Make America Great Again within an hour of Mr. Biden’s statement.
Trump continued: “Whoever the Left puts up now will just be more of the same.”
Weeks of intense scrutiny
Ever since his June debate performance, Mr. Biden has been under close examination. He threw a high-profile conference with NATO leaders in Washington less than two weeks ago.
The event did little to defuse tensions within his own party, as he seemed to address Ms. Harris as “Vice President Trump” and introduced Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, as “President Putin.”
He had claimed that only the “Lord Almighty” could force him to retire, but he later stated that if he had a medical ailment, he would think about doing so. He said on Friday that he will hit the campaign route again the following week while being held in isolation following a positive test for COVID-19.
Thanking Ms. Harris, Mr. Biden said in his statement on Sunday that she was a “extraordinary partner”.
“And let me express my heartfelt appreciation for the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me,” he said in his remarks.
“I still think that, when we work together, there is nothing that the United States of America cannot accomplish. The United States of America is who we must always keep in mind.”
Democratic National Committee representatives convened an urgent meeting on Sunday night.
The party’s national convention, which is set to begin on August 19, will now be the main emphasis.
The delegates from each state attending the convention were expected to vote for Mr. Biden because he won the party’s primaries handily. However, they may now be free to cast their ballots for another candidate.
