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Biden drops out of race to support Harris, Trump says it's 'easier' to win

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As the US presidential election approaches, major twists and turns have occurred in US politics: Democratic President Joseph Biden announced on the 21st that he would give up his re-election campaign and instead "endorse" his running mate Kamala Harris. In response to Biden's withdrawal from the election, Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump said that he could defeat Harris more easily, and his campaign team has already "bombarded" Harris.

[Biden finally "gives way"]

According to Reuters, just as all parties in this year's US presidential election were still "shocked" by the attempted assassination of Trump on the 13th of this month, Biden's "sudden" withdrawal from the election on the 21st added another shock to the election.

Biden published a signed letter to the American people on the 21st, saying that although he intends to seek re-election, he believes that withdrawing from the campaign and focusing on fulfilling his duties during the remaining term is in the best interests of the Democratic Party and the country. Due to infection with the new coronavirus, Biden continued to isolate at his home in Delaware that day and is expected to make a national speech in the near future to explain the reason for his withdrawal from the election.

Due to Biden's poor performance in the first presidential election televised debate with Trump on June 27, calls for Biden to "step down" have been heard from within the Democratic Party. Liberal media have repeatedly "persuaded" Biden to withdraw, and senior Democratic Party officials have said that he will "drag down the congressional election." Some "financial backers" have even put pressure on Biden by cutting off campaign donations. Biden once insisted on running for the election, claiming that he would only consider withdrawing unless he was "hit by a train" or was diagnosed with major health problems by a doctor.

According to multiple insiders who disclosed to The Washington Post, the final decision on whether to withdraw from the election will be made by Biden himself. Until Biden issued a signed letter announcing his withdrawal, many staff members of his campaign team were still unaware of this and were still preparing for Biden's subsequent campaign on the morning of the 21st. The Washington Post said that Biden only decided to withdraw from the election on the evening of the 20th, mainly because he and his team analyzed the "seemingly deteriorating" election situation and determined that he had no path to victory. He called Harris directly on the 21st to inform her of his decision to withdraw from the election.

[Can Harris be a "substitute"?]

According to Reuters, Biden issued a separate statement after publishing the signed letter, announcing his support for Vice President Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination. Since then, the Congressional Black Caucus, which has a significant influence on the Democratic Party, several major Democratic "financial backers", some members of Congress and several super political action committees have "endorsed" Harris.

As of the evening of the 21st, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and others have publicly supported Harris as a presidential candidate. US media previously reported that Newsom and Shapiro may also be "replacements" after Biden withdraws from the election. In addition, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Democratic Party chairmen in all 50 states have publicly "endorsed" Harris.

According to people familiar with the matter, Harris' team and its allies made hundreds of calls on the 21st to win the support of Democrats and try to obstruct possible challengers. The Democratic presidential candidate will be selected by 3,936 Democratic delegates, most of whom chose Biden in the primary stage of this year's presidential election, but after Biden withdrew from the election, these delegates can choose their own candidates. Harris needs to obtain the support of at least 1,969 delegates to obtain the nomination.

According to The Washington Post, Biden's endorsement of Harris may cool down the discussion within the Democratic Party about "who can defeat Trump" in the future. However, Reuters noted that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic "bigwigs" only "thanked" Biden for his decision to withdraw from the race on the 21st, and did not explicitly "endorse" Harris or other potential candidates.

Trump is confident of winning

After Biden announced his withdrawal from the race on the 21st, Trump threatened: "Harris is easier to defeat than Biden." A super political action committee supporting Trump announced that it would replace its previous campaign ads attacking Biden with ads attacking Harris in key "battleground states" such as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

According to people familiar with the matter, the Trump campaign team hopes to label Harris as Biden's "co-pilot" and try to "tie" her to Biden's immigration policy, while continuing to attack the Biden administration's economic policies. Even before Biden announced his withdrawal from the election, the Trump campaign team had discussed how to reallocate resources to deal with it.

Trump also mocked Biden that day, saying he was "not fit to run for president, and certainly not fit to be" president. Republicans such as House Speaker Mike Johnson also declared that Biden could not continue to serve as president. Johnson even directly shouted: "Biden must resign immediately."

In response, a White House spokesman said Biden "looks forward to completing his term and bringing more historic results to the American people."

Observers expect that the shock Biden's withdrawal from the election will continue for some time. According to Reuters, the Democratic Party has not yet decided on the direction to move forward, and Harris is not necessarily the party's presidential candidate. The Democratic Party still has doubts about Harris's prospects of winning the election. Some people hope to confirm the presidential candidate through a "mini primary", and some people suggest that Harris run with Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro to cater to voters in key "battleground states".

According to The Washington Post, some Democrats privately discussed that Biden might as well "give up" the presidency to Harris in order to earn extra political points for the latter. (End) (Xinhua News Agency Special Report)