Disastrous Debate Inflames Age Concerns; VP Harris Receives the Nod

President Joe Biden exited the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised concerns about his fitness for office. The unprecedented announcement, made less than four months before the election, immediately upended a campaign that both political parties view as the most consequential in generations.

Determined to serve out the remainder of his term, Biden quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump, encouraging his party to unite behind her and making her the favorite for the nomination at the August convention in Chicago.

This announcement comes on the heels of a tumultuous campaign, just a week after the attempted assassination of Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.

A party’s presumptive presidential nominee has never withdrawn so close to an election. President Lyndon Johnson, besieged by the Vietnam War, announced in March 1968 that he would not seek another term after just a single state’s primary. Biden’s July decision comes after more than 14 million Democrats cast votes supporting him through the primary process.

Harris praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” and stated her intention to “earn and win” her party’s nomination. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” she said.

Biden’s decision followed escalating pressure from Democratic allies to step aside after the June 27 debate, where the 81-year-old president trailed off, gave nonsensical answers, and failed to call out Trump’s falsehoods.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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,” Biden wrote in a letter posted Sunday to his X account.

Nearly 30 minutes after delivering the news that he was folding his campaign, Biden threw his support behind Harris. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he said in another post on X. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”

Harris faces a staggering political to-do list: securing delegate votes to claim her party’s nomination, picking a running mate, and pivoting the Biden campaign’s political operation to boost her candidacy. If elected, Harris would be the first woman and the first person of South Asian descent to be president.

There were early signs that the party was moving to coalesce around Harris, who secured endorsements from the Congressional Black Caucus and former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before she even commented on Biden’s decision. Notably, former President Barack Obama held off, pledging support for the eventual party nominee.

“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” the Clintons said in a statement.

Obama, who had privately shared doubts about Biden’s reelection chances, stopped short of endorsing Harris but praised Biden for his decision to leave the race. “I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” he said in a statement.

Biden’s decision came as he isolated at his Delaware beach house after being diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, huddling with a shrinking circle of confidants and family members about his political future. He said he would address the nation later this week to provide more details about his decision.

Harris learned about Biden’s plans on Sunday morning, and senior campaign and White House staff were notified just minutes before the letter went out, according to people familiar with the matter. Biden had been reflecting on his future for the past few days, and the decision was closely held.

Now, Democrats must urgently bring coherence to the nominating process in a matter of weeks and convince voters that their nominee can handle the job and beat Trump. Trump, for his part, must shift his focus to a new opponent after years of targeting Biden.

Biden’s decision marks a swift end to his 52-year career in electoral politics, as donors, lawmakers, and even aides expressed doubts that he could handle the job for another four years.

Harris appeared to be the natural successor, largely because she is the only candidate who can directly tap into the Biden campaign’s war chest, according to federal campaign finance rules.

Biden’s campaign formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation — a sign of her advantage in the race for the Democratic nomination. Democratic groups, including the Democratic National Committee, also filed paperwork changing the names of their joint fundraising committees to reflect Harris’ candidacy.

The Democratic National Convention, scheduled for Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, had planned a virtual roll call to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin. It remains to be seen whether other candidates will challenge Harris for the nomination. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, both potential replacements for Biden last year, endorsed Harris on Sunday.

The Democratic National Committee’s chair, Jaime Harrison, stated that the party would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to select “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the Democratic Party earlier this year to become an independent, is considering re-registering as a Democrat to vie for the nomination against Harris, according to Jonathan Kott, a longtime adviser to Manchin.

Harris spent Sunday afternoon calling Democratic elected officials and delegates to secure the nomination. The Tennessee Democratic Party posted on X that its delegation voted to back Harris after Biden’s departure from the campaign.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — each from a swing state and mentioned as a possible running mate for Harris — also endorsed her Sunday evening.

Trump reacted to the news on his Truth Social site, saying Biden “was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve.” He added, “We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

While Trump and his team preferred to face Biden, his campaign ramped up its attacks on Harris as pressure on Biden to step down intensified.

Democratic officials, including many behind the effort to push Biden from the race, praised his decision. “His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York praised Biden as “one of the most accomplished and consequential leaders in American history.”

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Biden should immediately resign if he is not fit to run for office. In a statement, Johnson said, “November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.”

In addition to his planned address to the country, Biden still intends to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this week, according to a person familiar with the president’s schedule. The exact timing of the meeting is still uncertain as Biden recovers from COVID. Netanyahu is scheduled to address Congress on Wednesday and meet with Harris while in Washington.

In 2020, Biden pitched himself as a transitional figure who wanted to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders. But once he secured the job, he was reluctant to part with it. Biden was once asked whether any other Democrats could beat Trump. “Probably 50 of them,” Biden replied. “No, I’m not the only one who can defeat him, but I will defeat him.”

Biden, already the country’s oldest president, insisted he was up for the challenge of another campaign and another term, telling voters all they had to do was “watch me.” His poor debate performance, however, prompted anxiety among Democrats and donors who doubted he could handle the job for four more years.

Concerns over Biden’s age have persisted since he announced his reelection bid, though Trump is just three years younger at 78. Most Americans view Biden as too old for a second term, according to an August 2023 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A majority also doubt his mental capability to be president, though this is also a weakness for Trump.

Biden often remarked that he was not as young as he used to be, doesn’t walk as easily or speak as smoothly, but that he had wisdom and decades of experience, which were worth a lot.

“I give you my word as a Biden. I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job,” he told supporters at a rally in North Carolina a day after the debate. “Because, quite frankly, the stakes are too high.”

However, voters had other issues with him, too — he has been deeply unpopular even as his administration steered the nation through a pandemic recovery, presided over a booming economy, and passed major bipartisan legislation. A majority of Americans disapprove of his job performance, and he has faced persistently low approval ratings on key issues including the economy and immigration.

Biden’s motivation for running was deeply intertwined with Trump. He had retired from public service following eight years as vice president under Obama and the death of his son Beau but decided to run after Trump’s comments following a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, when white supremacists protested the removal of Confederate memorials.

Trump said: “You had some very bad people in the group, but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. On both sides.”

Biden’s wife, First Lady Jill Biden, responded to the president’s announcement by reposting his letter and adding red heart emojis.

Granddaughter Naomi Biden Neal said on social media, “I’m nothing but proud of my Pop.” She said he has served the country “with every bit of his soul and with unmatched distinction” and “our world is better today in so many ways thanks to him.