LIVE UPDATES: Joe Biden ends re-election campaign, says 'it's in the best interest for the country'

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 8:37 PM CST |

Saying President Biden is "a patriot who has served our country honorably in the Senate, as Vice President, and as one of the most consequential presidents in modern history," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro weighed in about Biden dropping out of the presidential race. He also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday, July 21. 

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 8:24 PM CST |

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined other key Democrats Sunday in expressing her support for President Joe Biden.

Calling him a "great public servant who knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump," Whitmer remained steadfast to her mission of "doing everything" she "can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump."

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 7:41 PM CST |

Stating that President Joe Biden "has dedicated his life in service to this nation, and its citizens are all the better for it," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzke issued a statement Sunday after Biden withdrew his candidacy for a second term in the White House. "His is a storied political career culminating in one of the most accomplished and effective presidencies of our lifetime," Pritzke continued. 

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 7:23 PM CST |

California Gov. Gavin Newsom joined the conversation Sunday evening regarding Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

"President Biden has been an extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans. He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents," shared Newsom. He also pledged his support for Vice President Kamal Harris, saying there's "no one better" to run against Donald J. Trump. 

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 7 PM CST |

Former President Barack Obama has praised President Joe Biden's decision to abandon his reelection quest. But Obama stopped short of endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee the 2024 presidential race.

Obama called Biden, his former vice president, “one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me," according to the Associated Press. 

Obama said Sunday that when he picked Biden as his running mate in the 2008 campaign, “what I came to admire even more was his character — his deep empathy and hard-earned resilience; his fundamental decency and belief that everyone counts.”

Saying Biden “has never backed down from a fight,” Obama added that “he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America."

Of what’s to come, Obama said he has “extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.” 

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 6:47 PM CST |

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg weighed in Sunday's historic decision by President Joe Biden to end his bid for the 2024 presidential election. He also pledged his support for Vice President Kamala Harris. 

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 5:52 PM CST |

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he respects Biden’s “tough but strong decision” to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 5:05 PM CST |

Robert F. Kennedy Jr livestreamed a news conference on X after Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election race.

He commended Biden for stepping down, adding, "His infirmities were evident to any unbiased observer from the beginning. It was this progressive deterioration — and his abandonment of Democratic Party principles — that prompted me to enter the race and ensure American voters had a viable, vigorous alternative to Donald Trump. Yet the response of the DNC was to try and hide President Biden’s degeneration from the American public and disable democracy to ram him through to his party’s nomination. Many Americans fear that the same DNC elites are about to rig the nominating process again to get a monumentally unpopular vice president to step into President Biden’s shoes. I call on the Democratic Party to return to its traditional commitment to democracy and exemplify it with an open process. Instead of anointing a candidate hand-picked by DNC elites, the party should use neutral polling to identify the candidate who can best beat Donald Trump. The delegates should then select a nominee based on this information. If they had done this to begin with, I would not have had to leave the Democratic Party."

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 4:47 PM CST |

Here's a quick recap of President Joe Biden's unprecedented decision Sunday, July 21 to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, less than four months after the Democratic Party declared him the presumptive nominee and just weeks after a debate with former President Donald J. Trump. 

In a letter posted on X Sunday afternoon, Biden admitted that it is in the “best interest of my party and country” for him to step down as the Democratic nominee.

Biden wrote that he intends to serve out the remainder of his term and will address the country on his decision later this week.

In a follow-up X post, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the suddenly open Democratic nomination. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” the president wrote.

Former President Donald Trump reacted to the news by saying Biden, "was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was!"

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 4:32 PM CST |

Calling President Biden a true friend, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his support, stating on X, "I’ve known President Biden for years. He’s a great man, and everything he does is guided by his love for his country. As President, he is a partner to Canadians — and a true friend."

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 4:12 PM CST |

Comedian Ellen Degeneres shared her reaction to the news of President Biden ending his bid for the 2024 presidential election. "I’m grateful to President Biden for everything he’s done," she shared on Instagram. 

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 4:01 PM CST |

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island praised President Biden, sharing on X that his "legacy will be his grace, effectiveness and patriotism." Whitehouse then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.  

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 3:29 PM CST |

Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) didn't hold back on X, offering his opinion about Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Calling the president the "worst President" in his lifetime, Vance didn't go easy on Vice President Kamala Harris either.

"Over the last four years she co-signed Biden's open border and green scam policies that drove up the cost of housing and groceries. She owns all of these failures, and she lied for nearly four years about Biden's mental capacity--saddling the nation with a president who can't do the job. President Trump and I are ready to save America, whoever's at the top of the Democrat ticket. Bring it on."

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 3:12 PM CST |

Saying President Joe Biden wasn't "fit to run," former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social, writing, "Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was!"

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 3:04 PM CST |

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk joined world leaders in acknowledging Biden’s decision, saying, “You’ve taken many difficult decisions thanks to which Poland, America and the world are safer, and democracy stronger. I know you were driven by the same motivations when announcing your final decision. Probably the most difficult one in your life."

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 3:00 PM CST |

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked Biden for his ongoing service and leadership on X, stating, "Thank you for your leadership and ongoing service President Biden. The Australia-US Alliance has never been stronger with our shared commitment to democratic values, international security, economic prosperity and climate action for this and future generations."

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 2:57 PM CST |

Czech Republic’s Prime Minister Petr Fiala reacted to the news of Biden withdrawing from the 2024 Presidential race, stating on X, "It is undoubtedly the decision of a statesman who has served his country for decades. It is a responsible and personally difficult step, but it is all the more valuable. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the USA that a good president emerges from the democratic competition of two strong and equal candidates."

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 2:32 PM CST |

Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, offered “heartfelt thanks” to Biden for supporting the Israeli people during his career. Herzog shared on X that Biden was the first American president to visit Israel at a time of war, after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and called Biden a “symbol of the unbreakable bond between our two peoples.”

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 2:26 PM CST |

Former president Bill Clinton and ex-secretary of state Hillary Clinton praised Joe Biden's decision to drop his White House reelection bid Sunday, and threw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris to take up the baton.

Lauding Biden's "extraordinary career of service," the Clintons said in a joint statement that they were "honored" to join him in endorsing Harris as the Democratic nominee "and will do whatever we can to support her." 

UPDATE | July 21, 2024, 2:13 PM CST |

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi thanked President Joe Biden for his decades of public service and called him “one of the most consequential Presidents in American history” in a statement Sunday.

"President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first. His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history. With love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfillment. God blessed America with Joe Biden’s greatness and goodness."

Washington — President Joe Biden announced he isn't seeking reelection in a letter posted to X on his official account. 

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, 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."

Shortly after making the announcement, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamal Harris as his successor for the Democratic presidential nomination. He shared in part: "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’s departure capped off weeks of concern about the 81-year-old president’s stamina and mental capabilities and skepticism of his ability to effectively campaign against Trump and govern the country for another four years. Biden’s decision could raise questions about his ability to fulfill the duties of the presidency for the remainder of his term.

It’s the first time a US president has dropped out of a reelection run in decades, recalling memories of President Lyndon Johnson deciding against seeking a second full term in 1968 – though Biden’s decision comes months later in the campaign than Johnson’s announcement. It’s also the latest shocking development in a highly charged political campaign that has included an attempt on Trump’s life.

But not even the attempted assassination and its tumultuous effect on the race could pause the loss of support Biden was facing among congressional Democrats who became increasingly convinced that a wipeout in November would also drown their down-ballot contests as well.

It sets the stage for the conclusion to a political career that has spanned a half-century, one that saw Biden enter as one of the youngest senators in US history and exit as its oldest president.

Age and questions about the president’s mental faculties had been Biden’s biggest political liability since he first ran against Trump in 2020. Biden’s disastrous performance at a June 27 CNN debate – during which the president spoke softly, carried a glazed-over look and at one point appeared to lose his train of thought mid-sentence while his opponent delivered an animated, while mainly fact-free performance – brought those concerns to the forefront of the political conversation and ultimately doomed his reelection push.

Biden’s campaign had asked for the June debate in the hopes that it would force voters to tune into the race – and what Biden has said is at stake if Trump regained the White House – earlier than usual. But that strategy appeared to backfire as the president solidified what had been the most persistent concern about his candidacy.

The president’s performance shocked his donors, closest allies and the 50 million Americans who saw Biden stumble throughout the 90-minute debate, the most extensive exposure to an unscripted Biden since the last round of general-election debates four years ago. It left the White House and Biden campaign in a frenzied scramble to explain away his condition – at first, blaming it on a cold, before days later saying the president had been jet lagged by his international travel that wrapped up about 12 days prior to the debate.

 The president’s surrogates and campaign officials sought to soothe Democratic anxieties, hurriedly calling meetings with donors and top supporters to assure them that Biden’s performance was the product of one bad night and ask them to consider it in the context of his three-and-a-half-year presidency.

CNN reports the president has recognized how poorly the night had gone almost immediately; at a campaign rally the next day, he sought to promote an animated and energized image that had largely been absent from the debate stage.

"I don’t walk as easy as I used to,” Biden said. “I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.”

But the damage had already been done.

By the Monday after the debate, murmurs about replacing Biden on the ticket had grown into a full public conversation. The mood in the White House and at Biden’s campaign headquarters in Wilmington had turned sour. Biden, seeking to assert his control over his campaign and the presidency, delivered brief remarks that evening on the Supreme Court’s immunity decision earlier that day, asking voters to “dissent” in a rare political overture from the White House.

The next day, Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first member of Congress from Biden’s own party to ask him to drop out. The fractures in Biden’s support have grown steadily wider every day since. By the time Biden exited the race dozens of lawmakers had asked him to bow out.

So had major donors. Actor George Clooney, who has known Biden for years and was one of Hollywood’s biggest boosters of the president, said in a July 10 New York Times opinion piece that Democrats “are not going to win in November with this president” and called for the party to pick a new nominee.

Biden was initially defiant that he would remain in the race. But as the defections in his base of support continued, and leading Democrats in Congress continued to have difficult conversations with the president about his odds against Trump and the damaging effect he might have on down-ballot Democrats in competitive races, Biden opened himself up more to the idea of dropping out of the race.

In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on July 5, Biden laughed off questions about his political future and said only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to drop from the race.

Days later, Stephanopoulos candidly told a passerby that he also didn’t think Biden could serve another four years.

Biden told reporters at a NATO news conference he would drop out if polls showed he could not win. About a week later, he said he would reevaluate whether to stay in if he had “some medical condition that emerged” and doctors told him that would be an issue. The next day, the White House announced that Biden had Covid-19.

The attempt on Trump’s life July 13 briefly stemmed the flow of congressional Democrats calling for Biden to drop out and pulled the national attention away from his faltering presidential campaign. But the reprieve didn’t last long. Rep. Adam Schiff on July 17 became the first House Democrat to call on Biden to step down since the assassination attempt and more followed in the ensuing days.

Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon ET on Jan. 20, 2025, a White House spokesperson told the Associated Press. 

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