US President Joe Biden declared on Sunday that he would be supporting Kamala Harris in the US presidential contest and withdrawing from the contest.
Shockwaves through US politics were caused by US President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he will not be running for reelection against former president Donald Trump in the forthcoming US election of 2024. Following his announcement of his resignation, Joe Biden supported Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee for president.
After giving a dismal debate performance against Donald Trump and after constant taunts from the Republican Party about his “inability” to serve another term as president, Joe Biden decided to withdraw from the presidential contest. Numerous Democratic politicians also urged Joe Biden to drop out of the race for president after the debate fiasco.
What happened in the hours before Joe Biden dropped out?
According to The Washington Post, Joe Biden announced his resignation from the contest for reelection via phone on Sunday, and Vice President Kamala Harris was the first to hear of this. In addition, Joe Biden had private talks with White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients and campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon.
For the US president to brief the White House and Joe Biden’s campaign staff on his choice, Zients scheduled a meeting for 1:45 p.m. At about 2:30 pm on Sunday, the chief of staff formally said the same to every member of the White House staff.
according to The Washington Post, Throughout several meetings at the president’s vacation home over the weekend, Biden made his decision in front of White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, senior campaign adviser Mike Donilon, and senior adviser to first lady Anthony Bernal.
Why did Joe Biden end reelection bid?
There were growing calls for US presidential contender Joe Biden to step down following his dismal showing in the June 27 debate against Donald Trump. The US president blamed his poor showing on jet lag and overseas travel, but he was forced to withdraw from the race by the grassroots Democrats.
The opposition to Biden’s campaign inside his party has grown during the last week. As per Reuters, out of all the congressional Democrats, thirty-six of them, or over eight percent, have publicly requested that he withdraw from the politics of substance abuse.
The ruling party’s lawmakers voiced their displeasure with Biden’s reelection campaign, citing their concern that if he won again, the US president would deny them control of either chamber of Congress or the White House the following year.
According to sources, Biden had a “last-minute change of heart” and wasn’t planning to withdraw from the race until Saturday night, according to news agency Reuters. Only on Sunday afternoon, after consulting with his closest aides on several occasions, did the US president reverse his decision.
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