U.S. President Joe Biden steps aside as Democratic candidate, ending re-election bid

WASHINGTON, D. C. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined a chorus of officials and political compatriots praising Joe Biden’s years of public service on Sunday after the president bowed to weeks of mounting pressure and officially withdrew from his country’s looming election.

Biden’s decision to step aside as the Democrat candidate, announced in a letter posted to social media, came after members of his own party spoke out in increasing numbers to voice concerns over the 81-year-old’s mental acuity and ability to win the faceoff with Republican rival Donald Trump.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden wrote in the letter posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.

“And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

Trudeau said he’s known Biden for years and called the president a “true friend.”

“He’s a great man, and everything he does is guided by his love for his country,” the prime minister posted on social media Sunday.

The Democrats’ calls for Biden to drop out of the race began after a disastrous debate performance against Trump and intensified following multiple missteps on the world stage during the recent NATO leaders’ summit in Washington.

While the summit was underway, Trudeau said the world stage is lucky to have Biden leading in “extraordinarily consequential times.”

“His depth of experience, his thoughtfulness, his steadfastness on the greatest issues and challenges of our time, is a credit to the work that we are all doing together,” Trudeau said during the defence alliance summit earlier this month.

“It has been, as always, a privilege and a pleasure to work alongside him on big issues and I look forward to continuing to.”

Concern mounted as the president made more questionable public appearances, but it remained unclear whether Biden would continue. The president told supporters Friday he was ready to get back on the road this week after recovering from COVID-19, which he contracted during a critical time for his campaign.

But he changed direction Sunday afternoon, first sharing his announcement online then throwing his support behind Vice-President Kamala Harris soon after.

“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris posted on social media.

Trump, for his part, responded to word of Biden’s exit with a social media post of his own. He said Biden was “not fit to run for President,” argued he “annihilated” the sitting president during the debate, and accused Democrats of throwing Biden overboard.

David Cohen, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, said he was proud of Biden’s leadership “in assembling a coalition of the world’s leading democracies to protect and preserve democratic values – as well as his leadership in restoring confidence and trust in the United States globally.”

Some world leaders have expressed concern over the prospect of Trump returning to the White House, and his lengthy speech at the Republican National Convention did little to assuage their fears.

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs and decrease aid to Ukraine, and has repeatedly said he would not defend NATO members that don’t meet defence spending targets. Canada is one such country.

Canada’s Defence Minister Bill Blair said Sunday that Biden has been a reliable friend and unwavering partner to Canada.

“President Biden’s leadership has made North America safer, NATO more secure, and Ukraine stronger,” Blair posted on social media.

At last week’s convention in Milwaukee, Trump told the crowd America has been taken advantage of by other countries, including some who call themselves allies.

“Under our leadership, the United States will be respected again,” Trump said Thursday.

Matthew Lebo, a specialist in U.S. politics at Western University in London, Ont., said it became increasingly clear that Biden had to step aside for Democrats to have a shot at victory in November. Trump and his newly announced running mate JD Vance have put forward controversial policies that are “enormous softballs,” Lebo said.

“Biden is unable to hit them, let’s them go by,” he said in a phone interview.

Lebo said the clock was ticking and the election was looming. The Democrats and Biden had to make a decision.

“A different ticket could revitalize this and it’s getting to the point they might as well try,” Lebo said.

Other leaders reached out to thank Biden for his years in politics. Former president Barack Obama, for whom Biden served as vice-president, called his former second-in-command one of America’s most consequential presidents and a dear friend.

“Today, we’ve also been reminded — again — that he’s a patriot of the highest order,” Obama said in a statement shared on social media.

It remains to be seen whether other candidates challenge Harris for the nomination.

The Democratic National Committee’s chair, Jaime Harrison, said the party would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to select a candidate at the national convention next month.

Harris – especially with a running mate like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro – could bring strength back to the party in important blue-wall states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Lebo said.

The heir apparent also has connections to Canada. Harris moved to Montreal as a teen so her mother Shyamala Gopalan, a breast-cancer researcher, could work at McGill University. She attended Westmount High School from 1978 to 1981.

Former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton posted a joint statement of support for Harris, but not all have followed their lead.

Bruce Heyman, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada under Obama, said he will support the nominee selected in Chicago next month.

“I believe it’s in the best interest of our party and our country to have an open process that allows delegates to select the nominee at the convention,” Heyman posted on social media.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press