President Joe Biden Drops Out of 2024 Race

Historically, Joe Biden has now pulled out of the 2024 presidency race for the Democratic Party and left the party without a candidate four months before the general elections. This appalling move followed a terrible debate with Trump wherein people questioned Biden’s capability of being a president. The Biden decision has opened up the VP Kamala Harris to become the leader of the party after she immediately begins the unenviable herculian task of rallying the party and clinch the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in August.

The president’s decision becomes a significant epoch in U.S. political history since it is the first time in history the president left for another candidate who is not his vice of a similar party just two months to the polls. Specifically, Biden explained his withdrawal from Thursday’s debate and the pressure from Democratic supporters as major factors that influenced his decision, though he won the majority of the delegates and every nominating contest except for that of the South Dakota caucuses.

“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 on his X account.

Biden quickly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, encouraging the Democratic Party to unite behind her. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he stated. Harris, if she stands as the vice president, would be not only the first woman in the White House but also the first South Asian American to be there.

Kamala Harris congratulated Biden for his decision to quit as the presidential candidate and referred to it as a ‘selfless and patriotic duty’; she said that she would contest for the democratic party ticket keenly. “Everything within my power will be done to coalesce the Democratic Party and the American people to beat Donald Trump and his Project 2025,” Harris said.

Harris now faces a monumental task: Whereas, gaining the support of the delegates, selecting a vice-presidential candidate, and transferring Biden’s political infrastructure to her campaign. The Democratic National Committee has already started the process of renaming their joint fundraising committees for Harris, which shows that she is now the presumptive nominee.

Harris is also picking support up from the Democrats, especially with the backing from the Congressional Black Caucus and figures such as former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Nevertheless, former President Barack Obama has avoided throwing his support behind Harris and has stated that he is sure that the Democratic party will ‘develop a mechanism by which the best nominee will come out’.

There are several potential choices for the VP already in the short list and their backgrounds are being checked by Harris’s advisors. Some of them are the Governor of Kentucky Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, and North Carolina’s Roy Cooper. All three have displayed their political ability by triumphing in places that are stereotypically republican, which would be very beneficial in the upcoming election.

Public opinion concerning Biden’s decision to withdraw has not been universal. While democrats have been categorizing it as a mere act of altruism, republicans have gone ahead to demand for his impeachment and removal from office, citing his incompetency. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Biden, saying, “His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first.”

Trump was also a motivating factor for Biden running for the presidency, although this is not implied to be a negative thing. Following eight years in vice presidency, Biden retired from the public service, but after Trump’s comments regarding a ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 and the death of his son, Beau, he ran again. There has been much done during his presidency, and the nation was led through a pandemic, the economy was growing, and the major bipartisan legislation was accomplished. Nevertheless, questions regarding his age as well as mental competency have arisen couple of times.

It is rather strange and unusual that a party’s presumptive presidential nominee would withdraw from the race this close to an election. The violation of the traditional schedule not reminiscent in recent history, the nearest analogue is the announcement by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 about his unwillingness to run for a second term, made only in March after one primary. Biden’s decision was made in July after more than 14 million Democrats urged him on in the primary process through voting.

Biden arrived at the decision as the campaigning period has been characterised by a near assassination of Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. It has meant that both parties had to readjust their battle plans: Lastly, the Democrats are now down to Harris who they have to rally around and persuade the voters that she is capable of doing the job and beating Trump. For his part, Trump needs to shift his attention to a new rival after constantly focusing on Biden for years.

The Party has a big event coming up in the August 19-22 with the Democratic National Convention being held in Chicago. Also, the nominee must get the delegates’ votes to be awarded the nomination officially. There are signs she is succeeding at this, the Tennessee Democratic Party has endorsed her, based on signs.

Shapiro is a Pennsylvania Governor while Cooper is the North Carolina Governor and the Arizona Senator Mark Kelly is other major figures in swing states that have endorsed Harris. But there was the implication of potential problems, including Joe Manchin, the independent senator from West Virginia, who is weighing his return to the Democratic Party so that he can run against Harris in the primary.

President Biden’s decision to step down has profoundly impacted the 2024 presidential race. Kamala Harris now faces the challenge of uniting the Democratic Party, securing the nomination, and defeating Donald Trump in what is shaping up to be one of the most consequential elections in generations. With key endorsements and a formidable political operation behind her, Harris is poised to make history as the first woman and first person of South Asian descent to become president. However, the path ahead is fraught with challenges and uncertainties, making the coming months a critical period for the Democratic Party and the nation.

As the Democratic National Convention approaches, all eyes will be on Harris as she navigates this historic transition and prepares to take on Trump in the November election. The stakes are high, and the outcome will undoubtedly shape the future of the United States for years to come.