Eight days after failed assassination attempt on Donald Trump, Biden endorses VP Harris as his successor
NATIONAL — Just eight days after an assassination attempt on former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump failed, our current president of the United States, Joe Biden, announced that he will no longer be seeking re-election this November.
On a plain sheet of white paper, Biden released a statement on Sunday, July 21, addressing the country.
“My Fellow Americans, Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation,” the letter begins.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And 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 the remainder of my term. I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”
The news did not come as a shock to many as since the President’s debate against Trump in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, numerous Democrats have called for the President to step down. For the last year — at least — many Americans have questioned the president’s cognitive competency in serving his office. It was earlier this month that Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” during a briefing. Though he quickly corrected himself, it was not the first time the president had been confused.
Upon Biden’s withdrawal from seeking a second term, he has endorsed current Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a post on X following his withdrawal, the president said, “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. Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee for our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”
Leading up to the news on Sunday, national media outlets predicted that the president would announce dropping from the race by Monday, July 22. Once the news came, elected Democratic officials were ready to back her getting into the Oval Office.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom took to X to express his appreciation of Biden, “President Biden has been an extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans. He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.”
He then expressed his support for Harris, “Tough. Fearless. Tenacious. With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Local reaction
Locally, several political leaders issued their statements on the president’s news and if they would support him and his endorsement of Harris.
Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24) who represents Santa Barbara County and portions of San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties, declared his support for Harris in the November presidential election.
“Kamala Harris is a proven leader who has been a critical voice in this administration. As someone who has known and worked with the Vice President since she was California’s top law enforcement officer, I am proud to wholeheartedly support her to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in the process ahead,” said Carbajal in a statement. “I look forward to seeing her carry the torch of the Democratic Party at our convention next month, and to working with her to win the White House again in November.”
He also praised the President’s first term, “In one term as President of the United States, Joe Biden has achieved what most Presidents in modern times could not. He has guided the United States of America back from the depths of a deadly pandemic and devasting economic downturn to create the strongest economy in the world. He has led the charge in restoring America’s standing as the global leader in defending democracy and standing up to dictators. And above all, President Biden has delivered on his promise to get things done in Washington to make life better for all Americans.”
Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) issued the following statement about Biden’s announcement that he will not seek reelection:
“I thank President Joe Biden for his service to our nation. When President Biden first assumed the presidency, our country was in a dark place, grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, job loss, and attacks on reproductive freedoms and LGBTQ rights. Since then, his Administration has left an indelible mark on our country by rebuilding America’s economic strength, investing in its infrastructure, and restoring our values of fairness, decency, and democracy. President Biden’s leadership has made our country better and has given us hope. I look forward to the work that his Administration continues to do and his ongoing commitment to all Americans.”
However, Addis did not address whether or not she would be endorsing Harris.
In United States Representative Jimmy Panetta’s (CA-19) statement, he called the president patriotic for his withdrawal:
“Today, President Joe Biden demonstrated, once again, his patriotism by putting the future of the United States over his own political career. Throughout his five decades of selfless work for our nation, President Biden built a legacy of public service like no other. Throughout the past three and half years of his presidency, Joe Biden built an unparalleled legacy of accomplishment in both domestic and foreign policy. I was proud and honored to have worked with him to pass historic and powerful legislation into law which provided a foundation upon which our nation was able to get through the pandemic, produce the world’s most robust economy, and restore America’s role as the world’s leading democracy. Rather than running for re-election, the President has chosen to focus solely on fulfilling his duties for the remainder of his term. I thank President Biden for all that he has done for our country and for his partnership in my service to the people of California’s 19th Congressional District. In order to continue our nation’s legacy of upholding our democratic values, I look forward to unifying behind a presidential candidate who is capable and willing to promote and fight for the very same democratic principles that drove President Biden to dedicate his life to making the United States of America a more perfect Union.”
Panetta also did not declare endorsement for Harris.
Chair of the San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party Tom Faulks, issued the following statement to Paso Robles Press:
“The San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party is proud President Biden chose his country over himself.
“His historic presidency held the line against the enemies of American democracy, strengthened our global alliances, and guided us successfully out of an historic global pandemic. President Biden has now shepherded forward a new generation of qualified, strong, dynamic national leaders like Vice President Kamala Harris.
“What was true before President Biden made his announcement remains true today — our freedoms are on the line in this election, and it’s up to us to do everything in our power to protect and strengthen them.
“The question before us now: Who will Americans choose to lead — a seasoned vice president and accomplishedformer prosecutor, or a convicted felon. It should be an easy call.
“Vice President Harris will aggressively press the case that Trump — an extremist who would deport American-born citizens of foreign heritage, an adjudicated sex offender, a jury-proven business fraud who once encouraged Americans to ingest bleach to fight COVID – is unfit for office.
“Vice President Harris and all Democrats have a lot to be proud of and campaign on:
- the best job market since the 1960s;
- the lowest uninsured rate in American history;
- inflation halted;
- crime at historic lows;
- the strongest economic recovery of any advanced economy on earth;
- historic investments in rebuilding our nation’s roads, dams, water systems, ports and other critical infrastructure, dramatically accelerating the energy transition necessary to combat climate change, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for decades to come;
- a reinvigorated the Western alliance against Russian aggression.
“The SLO County Democratic Party proudly supports Kamala Harris for President and all Democrats running for local, state and national offices.”
What Happens Next
Though Harris has received the endorsement from her former running mate — and essentially inherited his campaign — she has yet to win the Democratic nomination. The party has just a few weeks to sort out who will represent them on the ballot in November.
At the start of the campaign season, the Democratic Party had all their eggs in the Biden basket. Now that that basket has been turned over, it has until the party’s nominating convention begins on Aug. 19 to decide who is going to fill it back up.
The Democratic Party will be pushing forward with a virtual roll call allowing delegates in its convention to choose a presidential nominee before the convention in Chicago next month. According to Associated Press (AP) the virtual rolecall is expected to begin Aug. 7.
Harris — or any other Democrats willing to challenge her — will need to submit at least 300 signatures from delegates, including no more than 50 from the same state. According to an AP survey of the convention delegates, Harris has more than 1,976 delegates supporting her as of Monday night, July 22.
As of the printing of this article, no other Democrat has issued interest in running against Harris.
This is a developing story, and we will update readers as more information becomes available.
Feature Image: President Joe Biden announced he will be withdrawing from seeking a second term. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. Photo by Reuters
