For the first time since abandoning his reelection campaign, US President Joe Biden spoke to the nation on Wednesday. In a subdued statement from the Oval Office, he stated that he had chosen to put aside his own ambitions in order to preserve democracy, setting a contrast with the contentious campaign.
Before the speech, in his first rally since Biden’s replacement as front-runner, Republican Donald Trump attacked Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, indicating a rough-and-tumble campaign ahead of the election on November 5.
After Harris dominated the campaign the previous two days with vicious attacks on him that pointedly cited his criminal convictions, his liability for sexual abuse, and fraud judgments against his business, charitable foundation, and private university, Trump called Harris a “radical left lunatic”.
The former president Barack Obama’s announcement on Thursday that he will soon support Harris as the Democratic nominee for president gave the Harris campaign more momentum.
Although a date hasn’t been decided, Obama and Harris’s aides have also talked about setting up a joint appearance on the campaign trail “.
Based on his performance during his first term, Biden stated he thought he should have been reelected, but he decided to resign out of love for his country.
I have concluded that passing the baton to a new generation is the wisest course of action. That is the best way to bring our country together,” stated Biden, who had earlier resisted calls from party insiders to withdraw from the race following his lackluster performance in a June 27 debate against Trump.
Following the speech, Biden’s staff gathered in the White House for a viewing party, and at 81 years old, he was welcomed with cheers, acclaim, and music in the Rose Garden.
Less kindly, Trump declared that Biden’s address was “barely understandable and sooo bad!” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Following a significant portion of the campaign spent disparaging Biden as elderly and weak, Trump, 78, now has a younger opponent in Harris, 59, the first Asian American and Black woman to hold the office of vice president.
Sensing that she would be the first female president, Harris galvanized many Democrats to support her candidacy. Her campaign reported that it had received $126 million since Sunday, with 64% of those making their first donation for the 2024 campaign.
A day following Biden’s statement, on Monday, Hillary secured the support of party delegates without any rivals for the candidacy.
Next up, much anticipation will surround Harris’ nomination of a vice presidential candidate to oppose Trump’s choice of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear are two of the people being suggested.
The rules committee of the Democratic National Committee reached a decision on Wednesday to officially nominate Harris as early as August 1, ahead of the party’s August 19–22 convention in Chicago. Harris would then select a running mate by August 7.
Harris is a capable leader who would be a successful president, according to Biden.
“She’s experienced, she’s tough, she’s capable,” he stated. She has been a fantastic leader for our nation and a great partner to me. You, the people of America, now have the decision.”
Trump made an inflammatory speech at a campaign rally in an attempt to stem some of her momentum.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, a battleground state where votes might go either way, he declared to yelling fans, “I’m not gonna be nice!”
Harris demonstrated her willingness to lash out on Tuesday by drawing a comparison between his criminal record and her experience as a prosecutor.
During a speech in Milwaukee, she posed the question, “Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion, and the rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear, and hate?”
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on Tuesday, Harris leads Trump by two percentage points, 44% to 42%. Trump was ahead of Harris in an SSRS CNN poll, 49% to 46%. Both results fell inside the error bars of the surveys.
