Following Biden’s withdrawal from the race, the first reactions have begun to come from Republicans and Democrats.
Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Mike Johnson, wrote in his post on the X account that the Democratic Party removed its candidate from the elections 100 days before the election.
“HE IS NOT SUITABLE TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT”
“If Joe Biden is unfit to run for President, he is unfit to serve as President. He should resign from office immediately,” Johnson said.
Johnson also criticized Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris, whom he nominated to replace him after Biden withdrew his candidacy, saying, “The future of the party is no better with Harris, who is co-owner of the Biden administration’s disastrous policy failures.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Republican, also criticized the Democratic Party leadership for Biden’s withdrawal from office.
“The Democratic Party bosses have proven they have absolutely no respect for their own voters. After lecturing others about democracy, they threw away the primary choices of 14 million of their own voters and kicked Joe Biden off the ticket,” Scalise wrote on his X account.
Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott also joined Johnson’s call on his X account, saying, “If Joe Biden is not re-elected, he will not be able to continue his term as president for the next six months and must resign today.”
“WE ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL”
Senate Majority Leader Democrat Chuck Schumer, in a post on his X account after Biden withdrew from the race, stated that Biden was a great president, leader and person.
“His decision was certainly not easy, but once again he put his country, his party and our future first,” Schumer said. “Joe, today shows that you are a true patriot and a great American.”
Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader, also made a statement on his X account, stating that Biden is one of the most successful presidents in US history and said, “The country is in a better position today under Biden’s leadership. We are forever grateful.”
Biden announced his withdrawal from the race in a letter he shared on his X account today, saying, “I intended to run for re-election, but I have decided that it would be best for my party and my country to withdraw. For the rest of my time, I will focus solely on my presidential duties.”
Later, in a post on his social media account, Biden indicated Harris as the name to replace him and stated that he supported her.