news

[Global Times Special Correspondent in the United States Feng Yaren, Global Times Special Correspondent Ren Zhong] Under strong pressure from within the Democratic Party, US President Biden announced in a statement on the afternoon of July 21 local time that he would withdraw from the 2024 US presidential election, and expressed support for Vice President Harris to take over the Democratic Party nomination and run for president. US media said that this decision marked the swift and shocking end of Biden's 52-year electoral political career, and Biden also became the first incumbent president in 56 years to give up the opportunity for re-election. The last time he gave up re-election was President Lyndon Johnson, who was mired in the Vietnam War and announced in March 1968 that he would not seek another term. Former US President Obama praised Biden's decision to withdraw from the election and said that "Biden is a patriot of the highest level." Democratic Senator Bennett said that Biden's withdrawal gave the Democratic Party "an opportunity to defeat Trump." However, Republican presidential candidate Trump criticized Biden as the worst president in American history. He also said that Harris would be easier to defeat than Biden. The New York Times commented that Biden led the United States out of the epidemic and the ensuing economic turmoil, but his hopes of bridging the rift that widened during Trump's administration have been shattered, and American society remains severely polarized. At the same time, Biden's decision overturned the campaign and laid the foundation for a noisy and unpredictable campaign unprecedented in modern history. Harris only has 107 days left to consolidate the support of Democrats and establish herself as a credible national leader.

On July 21, local time, American citizens paid attention to the news broadcast on the big screen outside the building that US President Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election. (IC photo)

Announce online instead of in front of the camera

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to be your president," Biden said in a letter posted on social media. "While I have always intended to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and country for me to withdraw from the race and focus on fulfilling my presidential duties during the remainder of my term." He then posted on social media that he fully supports Harris' nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate. He also called on Democrats to unite to defeat Republican presidential candidate Trump.

Biden has faced increasing pressure from within the Democratic Party since his poor performance in the first televised debate at the end of June. According to US media reports, former President Obama and former House Speaker Pelosi are privately worried about whether Biden can win the general election this fall. Senate Majority Leader Schumer and House Minority Leader Jeffries have persuaded Biden to withdraw gracefully, while angry "financial backers" have threatened to refuse to provide funds.

Although Biden has insisted that he would not withdraw from the race, the situation changed last weekend. The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported that Biden began to change his mind last Saturday. He was with his family and three assistants at his home in Delaware, and later called his long-time adviser Mike Donilon. Because he was still ill, he chose not to make a withdrawal statement on camera, but wrote the above letter with Donilon. According to reports, Biden made up his mind on Sunday morning local time and called Harris, White House Chief of Staff Zients and his campaign team chair Jennifer O'Malley Dillon separately to reveal the decision. At 1:46 pm, the letter was posted online.

After Biden announced his withdrawal from the race, Harris issued a statement thanking Biden and saying, "I am honored to have the president's support and my goal is to win this nomination." Schumer praised Biden's announcement that he would not seek re-election, calling Biden "a true patriot and a great American."

According to Reuters on the 21st, politicians from many countries also responded to Biden's decision to withdraw from the election. British Prime Minister Starmer said in a statement: "I respect President Biden's decision and look forward to working together for the rest of his presidency." Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez said on the social platform: "I admire and recognize President Biden's brave and solemn decision."

In an interview with NBC, Trump responded to Biden's withdrawal from the election by saying, "No president has ever done so much damage to our country, and we will correct what he did." House Speaker Johnson wrote on the social platform: "If Biden is not fit to run for president, then he is not fit to be president. He must resign immediately."

A number of Democrats expressed support for Harris

The Washington Post said on the 21st that after Biden decided to end his re-election campaign, there are two ways to choose a candidate to replace him as the Democratic presidential candidate. One is virtual voting. Democratic delegates will determine the new party presidential candidate through online voting in early August. US media said that this process is likely to be beneficial to Harris to avoid conflicts at the Democratic National Convention.

If the Democratic Party does not hold a virtual vote or fails to reach a consensus on a new candidate before the National Convention on August 19, then the final candidate will need to be selected at the convention. The Washington Post said that since the final nominee needs to obtain the support of more than half of the thousands of delegates attending the convention, there is a high probability that there will be multiple rounds of voting. "While this is likely to make for a great TV show, it is by no means ideal to have a partisan split at the convention."

Despite Biden's support, Harris has not yet secured the Democratic nomination. The Wall Street Journal said on the 22nd that Democratic National Committee delegates are free to vote for the person of their choice. California Governor Newsom, Michigan Governor Whitmer, Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro and Illinois Governor Pritzker are all strong contenders. Picking candidates from Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio or other "Rust Belt" states can help the Democratic Party win over key voters.

According to the New York Times, four influential figures in the Democratic Party did not immediately express their support for Harris. This included former President Obama, who did not mention Harris or any other candidate in his statement after Biden announced his withdrawal from the race. In addition, Schumer, Jeffries and former House Speaker Pelosi also did not express their support for Harris. CNN said that the reason why these senior Democratic Party officials did not express their views immediately was to avoid appearing to force "Harris as a presidential candidate" on voters too quickly.

However, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other US media believe that Harris is still the most likely candidate. Former President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and at least dozens of Democratic congressmen have publicly expressed their support for Harris. Some Democrats who are considered to be Harris' potential rivals or running mates have also joined the ranks of supporting Harris, including Arizona Senator Kelly, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Governor Newsom and Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro.

“There is no difference between Harris and Biden”

According to the Wall Street Journal on the 22nd, Harris and her allies took action on the 21st to consolidate the support of the "big money" for her. She and her husband had several private conversations with the wealthy people who had supported her that day. According to CNN, Biden's campaign team submitted written documents to the Federal Election Commission on the 21st, requesting to change the team name to "Harris Presidential Campaign Committee." According to the Campaign Legal Center, this means that if Harris remains on the list of candidates for the general election, she can control Biden's campaign account, which had nearly $96 million in cash at the end of June. The New York Times said that in an internal conference call, the head of Biden's campaign team told staff that they would now work for Harris.

The Washington Post reported on the 21st that although Biden has supported Harris to replace him as the Democratic presidential candidate, recent polls have found that there is no difference between Harris and Biden when facing Trump. After summarizing 11 recent polls, the newspaper found that Trump leads Harris by an average of 1.5 percentage points, only slightly lower than his 1.9 percentage point lead over Biden.

Sources told Reuters that the Trump campaign has been preparing for Harris' possible "rise" for weeks, closely linking immigration and economic policies and planning to try to closely link her with Biden's immigration and economic policies. CNN quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that Trump's team is planning to launch a series of negative ads to attack Harris in the above areas. Reuters said that the Trump team also produced ads accusing Harris of hiding Biden's health problems from the public. "Look what she did: border invasions, runaway inflation, and the American dream shattered." The voice in the ad said.

However, the report also quoted political strategists as saying that Harris as a Democratic presidential candidate could change the campaign in unexpected ways. A 59-year-old black Asian woman will create a whole new dynamic with the 78-year-old Trump. The United States has never elected a female president in its 248-year history. It is wrong for the Trump campaign to think that Harris can be a simple substitute for Biden because she has potential appeal to different voters.