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Joe Biden Officially Drops Out Of Presidential Race
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on July 21, 2024 at 2:05 PM EDT
Updated on July 21, 2024 at 2:23 PM EDT
President Joe Biden has just announced he is officially dropping out of the 2024 President race.
On Sunday, Biden announced the news, which shouldn’t come as too much of a shock as rumors have swirled he would be dropping out for a few days now.
This news also comes days after President Joe Biden announced he tested positive for COVID-19.
Joe Biden Announces He Will Drop Out Of Presidential Race
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“I believe it is in the interest of my party and the country to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president,” Biden said on Sunday in an official letter shared to his X account, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.. “I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work."
“Let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me,” Biden added. “I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can't do - when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America."
President Joe Biden Releases Official Letter
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In an official letter, Joe Biden addressed the nation, opening with “Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.”
“Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans,” he continued. “We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances.”
”We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world,” he continued. “America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.”
President Biden Thanks The American People
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Joe Biden also thanked the nation for helping overcome COVID-19 and the economic crisis.
”I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” Biden added. “We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.”
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. 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 one to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he announced.
Governor Gavin Newsom Breaks Silence
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California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote in a post on X that Biden “has been an extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans,” per NBC.
“He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents,” said Newsom.
Senator Joe Manchin Comments On Joe Biden’s 2024 Presidential Run
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This comes shortly after Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., joined those who were concerned for Joe Biden becoming President again. He initially thought Biden “needed time to evaluate and make a decision if he was going to at that time.”
“And then I thought, well, we’d hear from my colleagues who are in very difficult, challenging areas of the country, whether it be in Congress, as far as their districts, or in the states, as far as my senators, and they’re speaking out now,” he said in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week.” “And then when you see the donor class, basically, speaking up and saying that they went a different direction, if you will.”
Barbara Perry, a presidential studies professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, also previously spoke out, expressing, “We’re in uncharted waters. No president has dropped out or died this close to the convention.”
It is unclear who will take Biden’s spot, but rumors have suggested current Vice President Kamala Harris could run, as well as Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and California’s Gavin Newsom.