Three weeks after a disastrous debate performance led to calls for him to step aside, President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. He also threw his support behind his former running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Megyn was live on the air Sunday afternoon to deliver the latest breaking updates and was joined by Emily Jashinsky, Rich Lowry, and Mark Halperin for instant analysis. You can watch the full episode below and keep scrolling for highlights.
Biden Drops Out
At 1:45pm ET, Biden posted a letter on social media announcing his decision to suspend his campaign but stay in office until the end of his term. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” he wrote in the one-page letter. “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.”
In a subsequent post, he endorsed Harris. “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he posted on X. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. 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. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
In a statement, Harris said she is “honored” to have Biden’s support. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she said.
The Pressure Campaign
The announcement came after an extensive pressure campaign that included top Democrats publicly and privately calling for Biden to step aside. The Biden campaign had remained defiant in the midst of the scrutiny, though the 81 year old had recently softened his stance.
Initially, the president told ABC News that he would step aside only if the “Lord Almighty” told him to do so. Then, he admitted he may reconsider his position if the data showed no path forward. But he remained adamant that no such data existed. “Unless they came back and said, ‘there’s no way you can win.’ Me,” he said at his ‘big boy’ press conference last week. “No one is saying that. No poll says that.”
In a pre-taped interview with BET News released Wednesday, however, Biden – who is currently self-isolating in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, while recovering from COVID – said he would exit stage left “if I had some medical condition that emerged.”
Trump and Vance React
Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), both issued fiery responses to the news. In a phone interview with Fox News, the GOP nominee called the incumbent “the worst president in the history of our country” and said he “was not fit to run for president.”
Trump had a similar message on Truth Social:
“Crooked Joe Biden is the Worst President, by far, in the History of our Nation. He has done everything possible to destroy our Country, from our Southern Border, to Energy Dominance, National Security, International Standing, and so much more. He was annihilated in an Earth Shattering Debate, and now the Corrupt and Radical Democrats are throwing him overboard. He was not fit to serve from the very beginning, but the people around him lied to America about his Complete and Total Mental, Physical, and Cognitive Demise. Whoever the Left puts up now will just be more of the same. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
– Donald Trump, July 21, 2024, 3:19pm ET
Vance went a step further, calling on Biden to resign immediately. “If Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign, how can he justify remaining President? Not running for reelection would be a clear admission that President Trump was right all along about Biden not being mentally fit enough to serve as Commander-in-Chief,” he posted on X. “There is no middle ground.”
Other top Republicans took a similar position, with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) both demanding Biden hand over his presidential duties. “If Joe Biden is not fit to serve as President, he must resign the office immediately,” Johnson said in a statement. “November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.”
Democrats Respond
Some of the Democrats who were reportedly the most instrumental in pushing Biden out of the race have been quick to praise the president for his decision.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi praised Biden as “a patriotic American who has always put our country first.”
Bill and Hillary Clinton issued a joint statement on X thanking Biden “for all he had accomplished.” They also declared their support for Harris. “We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her.”
Former President Barack Obama described Biden as “a patriot of the highest order” in a lengthy statement from him and Michelle Obama. “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” he wrote. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.” Notably, he did endorse Harris or any other Democrat as the party’s nominee.
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