Biden is the first sitting president to drop out of running for reelection since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 — leaving the race against Donald Trump in turmoil.

“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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 my term,” Mr. Biden posted in a statement on social media.

  • sylver_dragon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    33·
    5 months ago

    Thank fuck. Biden’s actually been a pretty good President and I say that after strongly supporting Bernie over him. He’s got some flaws and (including some pretty big ones, e.g. Gaza). But, he’s also had some good accomplishments and finally recognized that continuing to steer this ship intro the dirt wasn’t the best plan. So, Thank you President Biden and let’s all now pull together and get whoever replaces him elected. It’s probably Harris. Again, not my first choice, and I suspect the selection process isn’t going to be terribly Democratic. But, we missed that boat by not having a real primary. But, we now have a chance for someone without one foot in the grave and the other on a patch of ice, to beat Trump. Let’s not squander it.

    • anachronist@midwest.socialEnglish
      13·
      5 months ago

      finally recognized that continuing to steer this ship intro the dirt wasn’t the best plan

      All evidence is that he was pushed out by Obama, Pelosi, Schumer etc.

      • hglman@lemmy.mlEnglish
        16·
        5 months ago

        If he actually was on his game they wouldn’t have succeed. Its absolutely a sign of his age that he got pushed and he did the right thing to step down. its the wrong time but better late than never.

        • anachronist@midwest.socialEnglish
          11·
          5 months ago

          I mean, if his brain wasn’t oozing out of his ears they wouldn’t have tried.

          Obama picked him as VP and then organized the takedown of Bernie in 2020. Obama is his fairy godfather.

          • Breezy@lemmy.world
            2·
            5 months ago

            Pretty sure they are not on good terms. I dont think they have ever since Hillary got the 2016 nominations instead of himself, and then fucked up losing to trump.

  • memfree@lemmy.mlOP
    22·
    5 months ago

    He’s now announced that he’s endorsing Harris. https://www.vox.com/politics/361827/biden-drops-out-2024-kamala-convention

    Moments later, Biden released another statement endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot atop the ticket.

    “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,” the statement said. “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.”

    What is clear is that the presidential contest is entering uncharted territory for the modern era.

  • bquintb@midwest.socialEnglish
    14·
    5 months ago

    Harris is a cop: Trump is a felon. Does it get anymore poetic than that?

    next debate, she should bring a pair of handcuffs out and set them on the podium for everyone to see, don’t say shit a about them and just have the debate

    • OurToothbrush@lemmy.ml
      24·
      5 months ago

      Did you like when Harris was a cop and she argued for keeping prisoners past their release date because they needed the prison labor?

      Or what about when she enabled the abuse of trans prisoners?

      Or what about when she led to the criminalization of black parents to address truancy problems?

      ACAB

      (Also if you think this is a pro-Trump post you are incorrect)

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
        4·
        5 months ago

        I 100% agree. In 2016, she got dead last in my preference for Democrat candidates, and that was completely validated when Tulsi Gabbard completely wrecked her. In the last 4 years, she did absolutely nothing to gain my confidence in her. I don’t believe she’s a good person, a good politician, or even a good candidate.

        But somehow she’s better than Trump. Maybe. I’m actually not sure anymore, because police and prison reform are really high on my list of priorities.

        I’m definitely not voting for Trump, that’s a given, but I’m most likely not voting for Harris. If I lived in a swing state, maybe I’d reconsider, but I don’t so I’m not throwing my vote away to a candidate I strongly dislike. I hope Trump loses, but I don’t necessarily hope Harris wins. Screw them both, Trump should be locked up and Harris should stay home.

    • tetris11@lemmy.ml
      3·
      5 months ago

      Harris is a cop: Trump is a felon. Does it get anymore poetic than that?

      He’s a fascist punk, and she’s a valet.
      What more can I say?

  • TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml
    12·
    5 months ago

    Hopefully we can get a halfway decent candidate that isn’t going to continue support and fund a genocide.

      • TrippyFocus@lemmy.ml
        3·
        5 months ago

        I’m not holding my breath but if they want the best chance they should go with someone else. I think she’ll have a tough time beating trump

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
          1·
          5 months ago

          Who? They have to be:

          • well known - they’re only getting a few months to build a campaign
          • relatively centrist - a lot of people in the middle dislike Trump, so that’s who you need to court
          • no major red flags - Trump will rip people apart, if the candidate has failings, they need to be conservative-friendly failings
          • well-funded - perhaps the most important, and Kamala has the Biden-Harris money to use

          She’s a terrible candidate, but I think she ticks the boxes above. I’m not voting for her or Trump, but I do think she’s the best option for the DNC, unless some billionaire decides to run.

                • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
                  1·
                  5 months ago

                  It’s certainly an issue. How is he going to negotiate peace if he’s physically impaired?

                  I also don’t think Bernie Sanders would do anything meaningful to change things in Gaza. His statements on the matter have basically been, “there’s no easy solution, so let’s just push for a temporary ceasefire to get humanitarian aid in.” He doesn’t have a plan to end the conflict, nor do I think he could do the job of a diplomat to bring both sides to the table (and would Hamas even listen to him, he’s a Jew and, even if he doesn’t have ties to Israel, that’s still likely an issue for them).

  • mrmetaverse@lemmy.ml
    4·
    5 months ago

    I doubt the nomination is really “open”. The only way they get to spend their war chest is if VP Harris runs (and she is). I can’t see the DNC nominating anyone else with such little time left.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    3·
    5 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    President Biden announced Sunday that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, a seismic event that will leave Democrats scrambling to select his replacement just weeks before their convention.

    “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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 my term,” Mr. Biden posted in a statement on social media.

    In the days following the debate, a growing chorus of Democrats openly expressed concern over the president’s health and mental state, his ability to defeat Trump in November and his capacity to lead the country for four more years.

    The pressure to step aside steadily increased as Democratic lawmakers and governors went days without hearing from Mr. Biden directly, allowing questions about his future to swirl within the party ranks.

    In the weeks since the debate, the president tried to push back, insisting in a series of public appearances and meetings with Democratic elected officials that he was committed to staying in the race.

    For months, the Biden campaign and allies reassured the public that the president was up to the rigors of leading the free world, often dismissing questions about his age and fitness even as polls consistently showed Americans had concerns.

    The original article contains 1,005 words, the summary contains 224 words. Saved 78%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

  • en1gma@lemmy.ml
    2·
    5 months ago

    Biden be like: “You corrupted supported me with billions but I am gonna go now lol - oh, btw could you please give some big money to Kamala as well? kthxbye”