Democrats have ‘biggest fundraising day’ as Biden drops out of race for Harris: Live

Any Democrat who dares to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris to top the party ticket would be committing “political suicide,” sources have warned.

Speaking on Face the Nation after Biden announced he was stepping down from the 2024 race and endorsing Harris for president, CBS News’ Margaret Brennan said that sources had told her they were not expecting a “head to head challenger”.

“Anyone, I was told, looking to challenge her would be committing political suicide to try to go head-to-head after Joe Biden had been so key in making it very clear, just within minutes of announcing he was not going to seek reelection, that he was endorsing her,” she said.

Brennan added: “The question then becomes who is the person who stands beside her August 19th at that Democratic convention to seek the nomination in that Vice President role. That’s where the focus is.”

The 81-year-old disembarked the aircraft at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware before getting inside a car on Wednesday (17 July).

The president announced his decision to quit the 2024 presidential race on Sunday (21 July).

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Biden said it was “in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down”.

President Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 presidential election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place in facing off Trump in November.

His announcement came after 37 Democratic and Independent lawmakers publicly called for him to step down from the race.

But how did we get here — and when did everything start going wrong?

We put together a timeline of events from this year to show exactly where President Biden’s campaign took a turn.

“He is unique in public life today, in that there is no distance between Joe Biden the man and Joe Biden the public servant of the last 54 years,” he wrote as tributes began to pour in for the president.

First lady Jill Biden and the president’s granddaughter Naomi were among the other Biden family members who spoke out in support of the president’s momentous decision, which comes after plummeting poll numbers and weeks of mounting pressure from prominent Democratic lawmakers and donors.

As she broke the news on MSNBC on Sunday that Biden was stepping aside from the presidential race, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: “Obviously, this is a significant breaking news development with the President announcing he is stepping back from the race.”

“There was very little indication from people close to him and many people in the campaign that this was what was about to happen, as much as there were reports of Democrats calling on him to do that,” she added.

“I’m just going to say on a personal note, I’m just digesting this myself here because I worked for him for a year and a half and he is a remarkable person, a remarkable president,” she continued. “He’s had such a tremendous presidency where he has overcome the odds and defied people’s expectations.”

“People didn’t think he could pass an infrastructure bill. They didn’t think that he could lead through COVID,” she said. “They didn’t think he could pull countries together. He did all of those things and will continue to do those things. And also is just a deeply good human being.”

The UK Prime Minister has praised Joe Biden for making a decision based on what he believed to be in “the best interest of the American people” after the US president withdrew his bid for re-election.

Mr Biden said on Sunday that it was “in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down”.

Responding to Mr Biden’s decision, Sir Keir Starmer said: “I respect President Biden’s decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency.

“I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people.”

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the founder of the gun violence prevention organization bearing her name, said in a statement, “I am proud to endorse Kamala Harris’s historic candidacy for president of the United States.”

“Throughout her life, Vice President Harris has worked to protect the American people’s freedom and safety. I can think of no better candidate to beat Donald Trump and protect our democracy,” she added. “She will make a great president, and her strong, steadfast leadership will save lives. Mark and I will do everything we can to ensure she is elected in November.”

Joe Biden’s legacy will “rest in part” on the outcome of the presidential election campaign that has been energised by his withdrawal, an expert on American politics has said.

Leslie Vinjamuri, director of Chatham House’s US and Americas programme, said the “historic” moment had “unleashed energy into an election that for months had felt routine, and seen the lowest levels of enthusiasm among a worn-down electorate”.

Ms Vinjamuri, a professor of international relations at SOAS, said: “The President’s announcement has created the challenge of a generation for the Democratic Party – to identify and unite behind a new nominee, and running mate, and to drive confidence and enthusiasm among registered Democrats, and undecided voters, especially in swing states.