Withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 United States presidential election
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On July 21, 2024, Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, announced his withdrawal from the 2024 United States presidential election.
| Part of the presidency of Joe Biden and the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries | |
Biden speaking about his earlier decision to withdraw his candidacy in an Oval Office address, July 24, 2024 | |
| Date | July 21, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Outcome |
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Biden, a Democrat who had been elected president in 2020, stated on April 25, 2023, that he would run for re-election in 2024 with Harris as his running mate. Biden went on to win an overwhelming majority of delegates in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries, where he easily defeated challengers such as Representative Dean Phillips and became the Party's presumptive nominee.
Concerns about Biden's age and health emerged during his presidency. These concerns increased following the June 2024 presidential debate between Biden and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump. Biden's performance was widely criticized; he frequently lost his train of thought and gave meandering answers, had a faltering appearance, spoke with a hoarse voice, and failed to recall statistics or coherently express his opinion on several occasions. Biden subsequently faced calls from fellow Democrats and from the editorial boards of major news outlets to withdraw from the race. By July 19, 2024, more than 30 senior Democrats had called for him to withdraw.
Following the debate, Biden insisted that he would remain a candidate. On July 21, 2024, however, he withdrew his candidacy, adding that he would continue serving as president until the conclusion of his term. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Harris subsequently received the Democratic presidential nomination, but lost the election to former President Donald Trump. Biden is the first incumbent president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 to end a re-election campaign.
Background
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Presidents who did not seek reelection
Historically, most sitting U.S. presidents who completed one full term chose to run for a second. Seven presidents were eligible for reelection after completing at least one full term in office, but chose not to run.[1]
Biden's age and health concerns
Biden was 78 years old at his inauguration, making him the oldest individual to assume the presidency.[2] Biden was also older when he assumed the office than Ronald Reagan, the previous oldest, had been when leaving it.[3] Health concerns surrounding Biden emerged during his presidency, primarily about his age and ability to carry out a second term. In a report in the Journal on Active Aging, doctors noted he had an "exceptional health profile" relative to his age, and a medical assessment performed by physician Kevin O'Connor attested to his physical acuity.[4] Biden's aides dismissed age-related concerns as politically motivated attacks by Republicans.[5]
On July 28, 2022, U.S. Representative Dean Phillips became the first incumbent Democratic member of Congress to say President Biden should not run for re-election; Phillips called for "generational change," pointing to Biden's age.[6] Phillips argued during his presidential campaign that President Biden would be a weak general election candidate due to his age and low approval ratings.[7] In public, Phillips was ridiculed. In private, others in the Democratic Party shared his concerns.[8]
In February 2024, upon concluding the investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents, special counsel Robert Hur suggested that Biden would be able to present himself to a jury as an "elderly man with poor memory" and wrote that his memory "appeared to have significant limitations".[9] According to a February 2024 poll, Biden's age and health were major or moderate concerns for 86% of voters generally,[10] up from 76% earlier in 2020.[11] According to another 2024 poll, most of those who voted for Biden in 2020 said that they believed he was too old to be an effective president; The New York Times noted that these concerns "cut across generations, gender, race and education".[12]
Biden 2024 campaign
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On April 25, 2023, after months of speculation,[13][14] Biden confirmed that he would run for reelection to the presidency in the 2024 presidential election with Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate.[15]
Biden faced opposition from Representative Dean Phillips during the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Phillips campaigned as a younger alternative to Biden, who would be a stronger opponent for Trump.[16][17] On March 6, 2024, Phillips suspended his campaign and endorsed Biden.[18]
Debate with Trump
Biden and Trump faced each other in a televised debate on June 27, 2024. Biden's performance in particular was criticized, in which he had a faltering appearance and spoke with a hoarse voice, and failed to recall statistics or coherently express his opinion on several occasions.[19][20] Trump was declared the winner of the debate by columnists from The Hill,[21] CNN,[22] Politico,[23] The New York Times,[24] USA Today,[25] Business Insider,[26] and Vox.[27] Columnists from MSNBC,[28] The Cook Political Report,[29] The Guardian,[30] and the Los Angeles Times argued that while Trump did not win the debate, Biden "clearly lost".[31] Polling also indicated the majority of the public believed Trump won.[32] Following Biden's performance at the debate, many Democrats were described as being sent "into a panic"[20] and called for him to withdraw from the race, leading to political turmoil within the party that the media referred to as the "Biden crisis".[a]
Debate aftermath
Following the debate, Biden faced calls from fellow Democrats[36] and from the editorial boards of major news outlets[37][38] to withdraw from the race. However, former President Bill Clinton, former President Barack Obama,[39] Vice President Kamala Harris,[40] Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer,[41] and California Gov. Gavin Newsom[42] publicly defended Biden and supported his continued candidacy.
On July 3, 20 Democratic governors met with Biden at the White House and virtually to discuss the debate's effect on his campaign.[43] Following the meeting, Governors Wes Moore of Maryland, Kathy Hochul of New York, and Tim Walz of Minnesota spoke to the press outside of the White House, with Walz specifically admitting that "Thursday night was a bad performance" and a "bad hit".[44]
Biden stated in an ABC News interview with George Stephanopoulos on July 5 that he would not end his candidacy[45] unless "the Lord Almighty came down and said, 'Joe, get out of the race'". He added, "The Lord Almighty's not coming down."[46] According to Politico, "Members of Congress and top Democratic operatives" said that "the president was more energetic and forceful than he was on stage during last week's showdown with Donald Trump — but it likely won't be enough to tame the panic" concerning his campaign.[47]
On July 8, 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that Biden's team had limited his schedule, personal interactions, media appearances, interviews, and unscripted exchanges in order to minimize concerns about his age and mental acuity.[48] According to Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal report stated that Biden "was having 'good and bad days' as far back as 2021".[49]
The Biden campaign attempted to reduce the tenacity of comments seeking Biden's withdrawal until he could be formally nominated in a virtual roll call vote prior to the Democratic National Convention, which was described as in effect "running out the clock".[50]
At the July 2024 NATO summit, Biden mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "'President Putin'". He then corrected himself.[51][52] (Vladimir Putin is the president of Russia, with whom Ukraine was at war at the time.) Later at the same event, Biden confused his running mate with his opponent. When asked a question regarding Vice President Kamala Harris, he responded, "'Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president [if I didn't] think she was not qualified to be president'".[53]
On July 17, ABC News reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had met with Biden on July 12 and 13, respectively, and had expressed concerns to Biden about Democratic losses in Congress.[54] Biden reportedly told Schumer that he needed another week to make a decision.[55]
Later on July 17, Biden tested positive for COVID-19.[56] He experienced mild symptoms, including a cough, runny nose, and "general malaise".[57] However, images of him looking frail exiting from Air Force One on the way to isolation at his residence in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, fueled further speculation over his health.[58] The New York Times reported that Biden was "more receptive" to withdrawing his nomination.[59] In phone conversations, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi told Biden she was pessimistic about his candidacy.[60]
On July 18, Axios reported that top Democrats believed Biden would exit the election, citing pressure from Jeffries and Schumer, internal polling, and criticism.[61] The New York Times reported that day that Biden was considering ending his campaign.[62]
By July 19, 2024, more than 30 congressional Democrats had publicly called on Biden to end his presidential campaign. Many more had communicated the same message privately.[63]
CNN reported that on July 20, Biden met with advisors Steve Ricchetti and Mike Donilon. During that meeting, the group concluded that worsening poll numbers and a loss of party support had left the campaign without a plausible path to victory.[64] That evening, Biden began planning a possible exit from the race with Ricchetti, Donilon, and other close aides, and he fully committed to the decision on the morning of July 21.[65][66]
Biden's withdrawal and replacement
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On July 21, Biden's official social media accounts posted a letter announcing the withdrawal of his presidential candidacy. In the letter, he wrote, "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".[67] Nearly 30 minutes later, a post from the same account endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.[68][69] Biden is the first incumbent president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 to withdraw from a reelection race.[70]
On July 24, 2024, in his first appearance since withdrawing from the presidential race, Biden explained his decision. Speaking from the Oval Office, he stated that his reason was the "defense of democracy". Addressing the presidential campaigns, he remarked, "America's going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division".[71][72]
Biden's pledged delegates were released by virtue of his exit from the race.[73][74] In a survey of delegates by the Associated Press on July 22, 2024, Harris became the presumptive nominee after receiving pledges from more than half of the delegates.[75] On August 6, Harris was certified as the Democratic presidential nominee after securing 99% of delegates voting in a virtual roll call.[76]
The Democratic National Committee redesignated Harris as its presidential candidate, enabling her to use the money raised for Biden's candidacy.[77]
After securing the Democratic presidential nomination, Harris went on to lose the general election to Trump.[78] Following Trump's victory, many analysts argued that Biden's decision to run for re-election was a significant factor in the loss of Harris.[79][80] Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi suggested the Democrats would have fared better if Biden withdrew from the race sooner.[81] A YouGov poll suggested that Trump would be seven points ahead in a race with Biden (49-42%); Trump won the popular vote 49.8-48.3% against Harris.[82]
On the contrary, Newsweek suggested that Biden would have appealed to more union voters and men than Harris did.[83] Biden himself has said that he regrets dropping out of the race, believing he could have beaten Trump in the general election.[84][85] In a January 2025 interview, Biden asserted his belief that he would have won, but doubted if he had the vigor to complete four more years in the White House.[86] The Wall Street Journal reported later that month that Biden's claims had caused a rift with Harris.[87]
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External links
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