Garima Sharma, Pune
On Sunday, US President Joe Biden tweeted on X, announcing his withdrawal from the US 2024 presidential race. Later in his following tweet, he posted about nominating Kamala Harris, the first Black and South Asian Woman vice president in US history, as the new nominee for the Democratic Party stating that it’s in the best interest of the party and country. He also expressed his gratitude towards his supporters for giving him the opportunity to serve the nation and also reassured that he will continue serving his presidential duties till the end of his tenure.
Biden’s decision is the result of weeks of private and public pressure from party officials and lawmakers to quit that was after a disastrous presidential debate performance between him and his Republican rival and former US president Donald Trump in the month of June. The decision came four months before the 2024 US Elections.
Biden’s deteriorating health after recovering from COVID-19 is also one of the reasons for making such a decision. Due to being diagnosed with Covid-19, he had to cut short his Las Vegas campaign trip.
Shortly after his withdrawal from the US elections, he extended full support to Kamala Harris and also prompted to rename his campaign as “Harris for President”. Later Harris also came forward to praise Biden for his “patriotic and selfless” act and also vowed to win the nomination.
As Joe Biden exited the presidential race, Kamala Harris started to gain support of top democrats including former president Barack Obama, former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate leader Chuck Schumer. They also applauded Biden’s accomplishments in the office.
Also, Biden’s exit will reshape the political landscape and has promoted an urgent meeting of the National Democratic Committee for discussing the upcoming convention in Chicago. As per the sources, the party is all set to reassess its strategy because the delegates who previously pledged their support to Biden will be released to support other candidates. While Biden planned to continue his campaign against the Republican rival, Donald Trump, his sudden announcement left the White House off guard. Growing discontent regarding his leadership within the party and the impact on congressional races is also reflected in his decision.