Joe Biden must resign as president “immediately,” the senior Republican in Congress said Sunday, following the announcement that the US president would abandon his attempt to recapture the White House due to overwhelming pressure over his age.
“If Joe Biden isn’t qualified to run for president, he’s unqualified to be president. He must leave his position immediately.””November 5th cannot come fast enough,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson in a statement.
Biden’s campaign ended shortly after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, putting him into isolation in Rehoboth Beach.
Biden’s retirement brings an end to a stressful and tumultuous era in the US race, which saw Trump survive an assassination attempt at a campaign rally on July 13.
Biden joins a small group of US presidents who have opted out after just one term, with the last being Lyndon Johnson in 1968—a year similarly marked by political turmoil and violence.
Johnson’s replacement as Democratic nominee, then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey, lost handily to Richard Nixon. Democrats, on the other hand, are depending on Harris to do better and to prevent convicted felon Trump from making a dramatic comeback to the presidency.
In recent weeks, the Biden team has reportedly been privately polling voters to assess Harris’ competitiveness against Trump.
While Harris failed to have an influence in her first years in the White House, she has emerged in the last year as a forceful activist, particularly on critical subjects such as abortion rights.
Harris, the first woman in US history to hold the vice presidency and the first person of Black and South Asian origin, has highlighted her historic life narrative. Without resistance from her party, Clinton is expected to be nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19, providing a dramatic and emotional moment for Biden.
Biden entered office in January 2021, promising to restore the “soul of America” after four traumatic years under Trump, including the shock of his supporters’ Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Despite a penchant for verbal gaffes, Obama’s former vice president was able to push through a major COVID recovery plan and a green industrial strategy.
US allies welcomed his declaration that “America is back” following Trump’s strained international alliances, and his strong support for Ukraine amid Russia’s 2022 invasion. However, he faced criticism over the disastrous US withdrawal from Afghanistan and inflation that left many Americans struggling despite otherwise positive economic indicators.
Concerns about his age lingered, with various senior moments, like as tripping up the stairs to Air Force One and falling off his bike, contributing to the doddery image emphasised by Republicans.
