Via a statement posted on X, incumbent U.S President Joe Biden has announced that he will nolonger seek re-election to White House, despite campaigning for the said seat until the evening of 20th July 2024.
Biden was elected to Oval Office in 2020, having garnered 306 of the 538 college votes, against Trump’s 232. His election led to a series of emotionally instigated events, culminating into the cataclysmic occurrences of January 6 2021, when MAGA ultras seeking to keep the then outgoing president Donald Trump in power attacked U.S Capitol building in Washington D.C.
Regardless, their efforts were futile, and Biden was sworn into office at the height of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. He reigned and led the United States through the crisis until a vaccine was found. Unlike his predecessor, Trump, who had termed Corona Virus a Chinese pandemic, his approach was to handle the pandemic while maintaining good diplomatic ties with other countries.
However, many critics of his administration have consistently poked holes on his ‘mishandling’ of the immigrant crisis and involvement in the Ukraine-Russia war. Most right wing politicians and pundits have argued that the funding of and supporting Ukraine is not an issue to the country and is wastage of resources.
Regardless, his administration insisted that Ukraine, as an ally to the U.S., is entitled to their support in times of such crises.
Throughout his leadership, Mr. Biden has had to deal with minor but costly embarrassments, that experts have argued could’ve contributed to his withdrawal. From falling off the stairs to confusing Kamala Harris for Donald Trump, opposition commentators have claimed that he is exhibiting signs of dementia or might be too old to be in the right mental state to lead ‘The free world.’
This was exercebated by a his lackluster performance during the presidential debate, that forced Barack Obama to come to his defence.
Via his X handle, the former president wrote; “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November,” in reference to what was globally termed a night to forget for incumbent Joe Biden.
Days later, on the 14th of July, Donald Trump survived, by a whisker an assassination attempt, in what looked like a desperate effort by the Democrats to eliminate opposition. While investigation on who sanctioned the assasination remain ongoing, the incident swayed public sympathy in favor of Mr. Trump, who could be seen raising a fist in defiance and calling upon his followers to ‘keep fighting’ as secret service agents whisked him from the scene.
Biden was later reportedly diagnosed with mild symptoms of COVID, and was forced to cut short a day of campaigns to self isolate before the announcement on the 21st of July, a day before which he had faced criticism from both sides of the political divide as pressure mounted on him to withdraw from the race due to his advanced age.
While reacting to the news, a number of Democrats lauded his ‘courage, selflessness and statemanship’. They also took the opportunity to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential race. In Biden’s own words, choosing Harris was the best decision he ever made as president, and therefore, he has given his full blessings and support for her nomination as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. Other notable leaders to endorse Ms. Harris include Pete Butigieg, the United States Secretary for Roads, Rep. Ilhan Omar and others.
Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the…
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 28, 2024
