*America’s number two woman accepts to run for presidency
*Clintons eulogise Biden, back Harris, Obama keeps options open
*Trump: Biden is worst president in American history
*Reactions pour in from politicians, world leaders
CHIGOZIE AMADI
In a historic political development in the modern politics of the United States, President Joe Biden yesterday announced his decision to end his presidential re-election campaign, nominating his Vice President, Kamala Harris as his likely successor.
Biden’s decision brings to an abrupt and humbling conclusion to his half-century-long political career and the scrambling race for the White House just four months before Election Day.
Biden, 81, could not reverse growing sentiment within his party that he was too frail to serve and destined to lose to Donald Trump in November. He backed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee.“Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a nation. Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans.
“We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
“I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalised and strengthened our alliances around the world.
“It has been the greatest honour 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.
“I will speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision. For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me re-elected,” the president stated.
Biden lauded Harris for “being an extraordinary partner” in his letter and then endorsed her in a subsequent post.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my vice president,” Biden posted. “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,” he added.
Biden’s withdrawal capped a singular national political career, bookended by Richard Nixon’s fall and Trump’s rise. He mounted four presidential bids. He spent 36 years in the US Senate representing tiny Delaware.
He rose to the chairmanships of the powerful Judiciary and Foreign Relations committees, later serving eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president.
Questions about Biden’s fitness for a second term as the oldest sitting president took on new significance earlier this year when a special counsel report called him an “elderly man with a poor memory.” Those questions dominated the political discourse after his disastrous debate against Trump on June 27.
Since then, more than 35 lawmakers have called on Biden, 81, to step aside.
Now the party must find a new champion to rally behind with a little more than 100 days until Election Day.
Harris, 59, is the most logical replacement, but many Democrats have resisted rallying behind Harris as the alternative. The other leaders that have been commonly named as other possible replacements include: Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer; California Governor, Gavin Newsom ; Illinois Governor, J.B. Pritzker; Pennsylvania Governor, Josh Shapiro as well as Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Although the Democratic National Convention is scheduled for August 19., it still remains to be seen how the nomination will happen. The nomination date has already been a pain point for the party.
While the roll-call process of delegates formally casting their votes typically happens at the convention, the DNC Convention Rules Committee has been trying to hold a virtual nomination ahead of the convention.
The push came after a legal challenge from a Republican Secretary of State in Ohio threatened to keep Biden off the ballot because of electoral deadlines in the state. The committee co-chairs say similar challenges may arise in several other states.
If the virtual nomination does not happen, Democrats could be looking at an open convention in August. If no nomination, open convention will decide party candidate.
The convention is scheduled for Chicago, where the party also held a disastrous convention in 1968 after incumbent President Lyndon Johnson opted to not seek re-election earlier in the year.
Amid anti-war protests and a divided Democratic party, the convention is thought to have significantly damaged the party’s campaign that year.
That year was also the last time the Democratic Party had an open convention. Unlike most modern conventions where delegates cast votes for the presumed nominee based on their state contests, open conventions happen without a presumed nominee.
That means the party representatives from across the country would be able to cast their votes for whoever emerged to nominate a presidential candidate.
Already reactions from politicians quickly began pouring in, with California Governor, Newsom writing in a post on X that 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,” said Newsom, who was one of the most prominent Biden surrogates.
Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, another prominent Democrat talked about as a future national candidate, called Biden a “great public servant” in a post to X.
“My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families’ costs, banning abortion nationwide, and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan,” Whitmer wrote.
The president’s granddaughter Naomi Biden said in a post that she was “nothing but proud today of my Pop,” adding that he has “served our country with every bit of his soul and with unmatched distinction.” First lady Jill Biden posted her husband’s statement to X with a heart emoji.
Across the aisle, Republicans slammed the move and many called on him to resign his office, days after the completion of a Republican National Convention where speaker after speaker slammed the Biden-Harris ticket.
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
In a brief phone interview with NBC News, Donald Trump reacted to Biden’s decision, calling the president “the worst president in the history of the United States by far.”
When asked whether he was surprised by Biden’s decision, Trump said that Biden “should never have been there in the first place.” “He should have stayed in his basement,” Trump said.
Biden’s decision to exit the race less than a month before his party’s convention and a few months before voters head to the polls is unprecedented in the modern political era.
The last sitting president to abandon a re-election bid was Lyndon Johnson, whose expansion of the Vietnam War in the 1960s split the Democratic Party. But Johnson’s announcement came in March 1968 — eight months before that election.
“We’re in uncharted waters,” said Barbara Perry, a presidential studies professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Centre. “No president has dropped out or died this close to the convention,” she said.
Questions about Biden’s capacities dogged him throughout his presidency, but peaked following his debate with Trump on June 27. Combined with his flagging poll numbers, his listless performance sparked a panic among his own party that he couldn’t win in November.
With 51 million people watching, Biden spoke in a raspy voice and often failed to complete thoughts or deliver a cogent explanation of why voters should choose him over Trump. He later attributed his poor performance to exhaustion and a cold. He implored the country not to let one bad night overshadow his accomplishments in office.
Unpersuaded, Democratic lawmakers began calling on him to step aside, a rebellion that started slowly but grew steadily in size and intensity. Thirty-seven congressional Democrats, including independent Senator Joe Manchin, who previously was in the Democratic Party, had called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 election before he delivered his decision Sunday afternoon.
They appealed to Biden’s patriotism, arguing that if he sincerely believed Trump is a threat to democracy, he needed to put his country first and stand down.
Biden fought back. He held numerous calls and meetings with Democratic officials at all levels to shore up support inside the party — to no avail.
Looking to blunt concerns about his acuity, he gave interviews and held press conferences to prove to voters that he could still think on his feet. But the gaffes kept coming and his poll numbers remained stagnant.
In another bit of bad fortune and timing, Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on July 17, forcing him off the campaign trail.
For Democrats, Biden’s illness created an unwanted contrast. While Trump delivered a triumphal speech accepting the Republican nomination in Milwaukee on July 18, five days after surviving an assassination attempt, Biden was in self-isolation back home.
Biden’s departure is the latest in a series of jarring developments that has made the 2024 presidential race the most chaotic in living memory. Trump easily won the Republican presidential nomination despite splitting his time between the campaign trail and various courtrooms where he was a defendant in criminal and civil cases. In May, a jury in Manhattan convicted him on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments to a porn star.
Then, in short order, Trump rebounded. The Supreme Court issued a much-anticipated ruling on July 1 that immunised Trump from official conduct when he was president, impeding special counsel Jack Smith’s efforts to prosecute Trump for interfering in the 2020 election.
Trump nearly died on July 13 as he appeared at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A gunman lying on a roof 130 yards away fired a bullet that grazed his ear. Trump dropped to the ground in self-defence. Then, his face smeared with blood, he rose and defiantly pumped his fist, yelling “Fight!”
Another fortuitous development came two days later, coinciding with the opening of the Republican convention in Milwaukee that certified Trump’s nomination.
Federal Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida dismissed a separate case brought by Smith alleging that Trump improperly retained classified documents that he took home with him when he left the White House in 2021.
Cannon, who had been appointed by Trump, ruled that Smith’s appointment was illegal. Smith quickly appealed her ruling.
The rolling streak of news gave Trump a jolt of momentum, allowing Republicans to present an energized and unified front at this month’s convention.
With Biden offering his endorsement of Harris as a replacement nominee, a senior Democratic official tells CNN they believe other party elders will follow suit.
The official said that the Democrats can “use this moment to bring the party together and return the contrast to Donald Trump.”
A second senior Democratic official, who has been in close touch with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders during the deepening crisis over the last three weeks, said Democratic elected officials and others will rally behind Harris.
“People will unite behind Harris,” a senior Democratic official told CNN. “Who would run against her?” he asked.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Biden for putting “his party, and our future first.”
“Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he is a truly amazing human being. His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first,” Schumer said.
Democratic Senator, Chris Coons, a close ally of Biden and campaign co-chair, praised him in comments to CNN.
“He has an incredible legacy of leadership and service and I look forward to continuing to work with him both as our president and a leader in our party,” Senator Chris Coons told CNN, declining further comment.
Meanwhile, Vice President Harris has said she will seek the Democratic nomination to replace Biden, after he suddenly ended his campaign and endorsed her earlier Sunday.
“I am honoured to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said in a statement issued by Biden’s campaign.
“Over the past year, I have travelled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead,” she added.
Biden’s endorsement gives Harris a major advantage ahead of the planned vote from convention delegates next month.
Also former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary have eulogised Biden, stating that he capped his extraordinary career of service with a presidency that has lifted America out of an unprecedented pandemic, created millions of new jobs, rebuilt a battered economy, strengthened our democracy, and restored our standing in the world.
“By any measure, he has advanced our founders’ charge to build a more perfect union and his own stated goal of restoring the soul of our nation. We join millions of Americans in thanking President Biden for all he has accomplished, standing up for America time and again, with his North Star always being what’s best for the country.
“We are honoured to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her. We’ve lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term.
“He has promised to be a dictator on day one, and the recent ruling by his servile Supreme Court will only embolden him to further shred the Constitution. Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her. America’s future depends on it,” the Clintons stated.
Also, former President Barack Obama has endorsed an open Democratic primary process at the convention next month — less than an hour after former Clinton endorsed Harris for president.
“I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” Obama said in a statement, which did not mention Harris.
“I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August,” he stated.
In his statement, Obama wrote about picking Biden as his running mate and said the president had “every right to run for re-election and finish the job he started.”
“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight,” Obama wrote. “For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life,” Obama stressed.
World leaders watching the US election reacted to the decision by Biden not to seek re-election, discussing their relationships with the US president and offering thoughts on his decision.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “I respect President Biden’s decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency.”
“I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people,” Starmer wrote.
In a statement on social media addressed directly to Biden, Polish President Donald Tusk said Mr. Biden’s “many difficult decisions” had helped keep Poland, America and the world safe 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,” Tusk wrote.
The difficulty of the president’s decision was also highlighted by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. “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,” Fiala wrote on social media.
“I am keeping my fingers crossed for the USA that a good president emerges from the democratic competition of two strong and equal candidates,” he added.
Ireland’s deputy premier Michael Martin said he heard of Mr. Biden’s decision “with both sadness and admiration.”
Biden, whose family has roots in the country, was warmly welcomed when he visited Ireland last year.
“This has no doubt been the toughest of calls, but one done, as ever, with dignity and class. I know that the people of Ireland will wish President Biden the very best,” Martin wrote Sunday on social media.
Ireland’s prime minister, Taoiseach Simon Harris, also thanked Mr. Biden in a statement shared on social media, crediting the US president as “a voice for reason, effective multilateralism and shared solutions.”
Harris pointed to Mr. Biden’s leadership on the Russia-Ukraine war and said he had spoken with the president about plans for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, and called him “an unwavering voice and passionate worker for peace on the island of Ireland.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked Mr. Biden “for his friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades long career,” in a statement on social media.
“As the first US President to visit Israel in wartime, as a recipient of the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honour, and as a true ally of the Jewish people, he is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between our two peoples,” Herzog said.
