Just weeks after a disastrous debate within his party, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. stepped down on July 21, dropping out of the contest against former President Donald Trump.
Since the June 27 presidential debate against Trump, which raised questions about Biden’s mental acuity and ability to govern, dozens of party officials urged Biden, 81, to withdraw.
Biden initially defied calls to withdraw, determined to continue. Aides also insisted he was fully committed.
The historic decision makes Biden the first sitting President to cancel his re-election campaign.
Democrats were shaken to watch Biden stumble his way through, mixing up names and figures, failing to dodge Trump’s lies or give coherent descriptions of his accomplishments and vision for a second term.
Soon a growing chorus of Democratic party raised concern, warning that Biden was likely to lose in November, potentially dragging down the party’s candidates across the country.
During a campaign in Nevada, Biden contracted COVID-19 and retreated to his beach house to recover. This circumstance added to the debate against him.
Biden criticized Democratic allies, mourned the lack of recognition for his achievements, and fumed over disrespect from his troops. Close advisers knew he was considering an exit.
On July 21, President Biden took on X to announce his drop. He started with how the nation has made progress and spoke about the achievements under his tenure.
Only to end with, “It has been the greatest honour 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.”
Reportedly, the Democratic Party will now be represented by VP Kamala Harris, a much younger candidate when compared to Trump.