He eventually relented, after weeks of pressure and concern about his age and mental acuity. On Sunday, July 21, Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race for the White House, sending a thunderclap through the campaign for the presidential election in November. “It has been the honor of my life to serve as your president, but the defense of democracy, which is at stake, is, I think, more important than any title,” he told his compatriots on Wednesday, July 24, in a solemn address to the nation from the Oval Office.
“In recent weeks it has become clear to me that I need to unite my party,” he said, adding that the “time” had come “to have new voices […]younger voices.” Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, who has been virtually assured of being the Democratic candidate since her withdrawal, “is experienced, she is strong, she is competent,” insisted Joe Biden, who had designated her as his successor since his surprise announcement.
“She’s been an incredible partner to me, a leader to our country. Now it’s up to you, the American people, to choose,” he continued. While the president indirectly alluded to his own age by talking about the need to make way for someone younger, he didn’t really elaborate on the subject. The issue has been on everyone’s mind since his disastrous performance against Donald Trump in their debate in late June, which sparked a crisis among Democrats and prompted an avalanche of calls for him to make way for someone younger.
“Execution”
It was through a simple letter published on X that Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the competition. Just after his former opponent’s speech on Wednesday evening, Donald Trump gave his opinion on the speech: “barely understandable, and so bad!” Shortly before, during a campaign rally in North Carolina, he had mocked the Democrat’s withdrawal. “Biden doesn’t even know he’s alive,” he said, contemptuously, to his supporters during this first event since the Democrat threw in the towel.
But it is for Kamala Harris, his new rival, whom he will probably face in November, that he has reserved his blows. The former prosecutor and senator is a “radical left nutcase” who “will destroy our country,” declared the 78-year-old billionaire. “She wants abortions in the eighth and ninth month of pregnancy, up until birth and even after birth, the execution of babies,” he falsely assured. The right-wing candidate is multiplying campaign events and is due to address an association of ultra-conservative youth in Florida this week before flying to Minnesota.
“Future” versus “Past”
Donald Trump enjoyed the spectacle of a Republican Party in perfect working order for a few days behind his third bid for the White House. But with the arrival of Kamala Harris in the arena, the former president is forced to review entire sections of his electoral strategy, which until now was largely focused on positioning himself as an energetic leader in the face of a declining Joe Biden.
The few polls released since the vice president entered the race have been mixed, with the two candidates neck and neck. Kamala Harris’ candidacy is generating renewed enthusiasm for an election that until now had not excited many people. The independent organization Vote.orgwhich helps voters register, registered 38,500 new registrants in the two days after Joe Biden withdrew, most of them under 35.
That’s the largest number of registrations since the start of the campaign, even breaking the record set when singer Taylor Swift encouraged her fans to go to this site to find their polling station. “I believe we are faced with a choice between two different visions for our nation, one looking forward, one looking back,” Kamala Harris proclaimed during a trip to Indianapolis.