On July 21, President Joe Biden made the historic decision to withdraw his candidacy in the 2024 presidential race. This announcement came after a disastrous performance during a presidential debate in June, and is the latest a presidential candidate has ever dropped out of a race.
When former president Donald Trump and Biden first faced off in the 2020 election, they made history, bringing more voters to the polls than any other election in the 21st century. Biden alone had over 81 million ballots cast for him, the most ever votes for one candidate in a presidential election. But just four years later, the climate changed. Before he dropped out, 1 in 4 Americans had unfavorable views of both Biden and Trump, and 62 percent of Americans viewed Biden unfavorably.
It was under the shadow of these dropping polls, along with the aftermath of the presidential debate, that Biden dropped out of the race. But despite the tumultuous nature of his departure, Biden’s decision is a courageous one, and reflects the legacy of a man who puts his country first.
Biden’s career on Capitol Hill began earlier than most; at age 29 he was sworn in as one of the youngest Senators ever. He represented Delaware in the Senate for 36 years, and led efforts to pass the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and the Violence Against Women Act. Elevated to the White House in 2008 as Obama’s Vice President, Biden helped pass the Affordable Care Act and oversaw the then-largest economic recovery plan in history. After over 52 years in Washington, he secured the presidency in the 2020 election.
Now approaching the end of his first term, Biden has brought the number of uninsured Americans to an all-time low, has led the way to record job growth and has narrowed income inequality. Despite these successes, he faced growing criticism towards the end of his campaign from Democrats and Republicans, mostly centered around concerns about his age and cognitive abilities.
With such pronounced calls from both sides of the aisle, including those from Representative Mark Takano (D-CA), Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) and, privately, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, it seemed unlikely to many that Biden would defeat Trump. With this sentiment growing across the nation, Biden ended his campaign, enabling his party to have a better chance at victory in the 2024 election.
Biden’s choice wasn’t commendable because he admitted defeat; it was commendable because he gave up the candidacy, despite believing he would win. According to the New York Times, Biden still thought he could win a second term, even as he announced he was dropping out. However, he believed that continuing his candidacy would, “rip apart the Democratic Party.”
Biden sacrificed what was, in his mind, a sure second term as president so that his party, and the American people may be better off. After a lifetime of political work dedicated to getting where he is today, that’s an extraordinary sacrifice to make.
Biden coupled his announcement with an immediate endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the next Democratic nominee, selflessly vacating the position while promoting the future of his party. Only 59, Harris is significantly younger than Biden and presents an alternative option to those unhappy with the president’s age.
In addition, Harris has extensive political experience as an attorney general of California, United States senator, and most recently, vice president. She worked with Biden to cap insulin prices at $35, expand postpartum care through Medicaid and pass a $1 trillion infrastructure bill. If elected, she would be the first female president, first Asian-American president and first Black female president in American history.
While Biden’s passing of the candidacy onto Harris could be viewed as one of fear and uncertainty, in actuality, it’s one of patriotism. By stepping down, Biden attempts to transition American politics into a new, post-Trump era. If Harris wins, the likelihood that an aging, twice-defeated Trump would succeed in another reelection bid would significantly decrease, opening the door for a similarly young candidate on the other side of the aisle.
His decision wasn’t the choice of someone finally forced to quit, but a final act of public service at the end of an esteemed political career. As his final term of the presidency comes to a close, Biden will be remembered as a politician who made a difficult choice for the betterment of the American people.
