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 fit to run for president, he’s not fit to be president. He must resign his office immediately. “November 5th cannot come soon enough,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson in a statement.
The end came for Biden’s campaign shortly after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, forcing him into isolation in Rehoboth Beach.
Biden’s withdrawal caps a tense and chaotic period in the US election, highlighted by Trump surviving 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 successor as the Democratic nominee, then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey, went on to lose decisively to Richard Nixon. However, Democrats are counting on Harris to perform better and hoping she can prevent the convicted felon Trump from making a sensational return to the Oval Office.
In recent weeks, the Biden campaign has reportedly been quietly surveying voters to measure Harris’s competitiveness against Trump.
While Harris struggled to make a significant impact in her early years in the White House, she has emerged in the last year as a strong campaigner, particularly on key issues like abortion rights.
As the first woman in US history to hold the vice presidency and the first person of Black and South Asian descent, Harris has emphasized her groundbreaking life story. Barring opposition from her party, she is set to be nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19, promising a dramatic and emotional moment for Biden.
Biden took office in January 2021, pledging to heal the “soul of America” after four turbulent years under Trump and the shock of the January 6, 2021, Capitol assault by his supporters. Despite a reputation for verbal gaffes, Obama’s former vice president managed to push through a massive COVID recovery plan and a green industry initiative.
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 persisted, with several senior moments, including tripping up the stairs to Air Force One and falling off his bike, adding to the doddery image highlighted by Republicans.