The full letter from Biden is here
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Senator JD Vance: A Tenacious Prosecutor Who Would Unite the Party if President Biden resigned
PROVINCETOWN, Mass./REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — Vice President Harris was back on the campaign trail this weekend, raising money for the Biden-Harris ticket on Cape Cod while President Biden remained sidelined by a case of COVID in his beach house in Delaware.
In a large tent near the harbor, hundreds of Democratic donors cheered and waved fans that had “Veeptown” written on them, as a play on the beach town known for its LGBTQ history and community.
Donald Trump’s ban on trans people in the military and his removal of protections for the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and queer community caused Harris to focus on the former president’s policies.
She said Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, “undoubtedly will be a rubber stamp for Trump’s extremist anti-LGBTQ agenda,” citing legislation he proposed that would ban gender-affirming care. That made a yell of “Go get ’em, Kamala!” from one of the donors.
Although many Republicans are calling for President Biden to resign, congressional Democrats have praised his decision and said that he did a good job.
Harris has not publicly engaged in the debate, and did not mention it in her Provincetown remarks. She praised Biden, saying she was demonstrating that he fought for “everyday working Americans”.
On Saturday, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., called her a “tenacious prosecutor” with the experience to beat Trump. “Joe, I love you and respect you. But the stakes are too high to fail. It is time to pass the torch to a new generation, said Takano.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. — who has not called for Biden to leave the race — said Harris would unite the party if Biden changes his mind, and praised her for her work on economic issues and abortion rights. “Look — if you’re running against a convicted felon, then a prosecutor like Kamala is really a good person to make that case,” Warren said on MSBNC.
The Day Congress Can Save Biden and the United States from a Worldwide Election Scenario. The Day After the Republican Convention, Kamala Harris is Coming
Biden did a lot of events in swing states and a solo press conference to refute concerns about his age and abilities. But that came to a halt when he tested positive for COVID last week.
Biden’s doctor said in a memo on Saturday that his symptoms are improving, but he still has a cough. Since the Republican National Convention ended, the pace of Democrats asking Biden to leave has picked up.
Campaign spokesman Michael Tyler told reporters on Saturday that the president would be back out on the trail next week once he gets the green light from his doctor.
The American people made this possible. The greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression was overcome by us. We’ve protected our democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
He wrote in a letter to “my fellow Americans” that he would focus on fulfilling his duties as president the rest of his term.
I have decided to focus my energy on my duties as President for the remainder of my term rather than accepting the nomination. The first decision that I made when I became party nominee was to pick Kamala Harris as my vice president. It has been the best decision I have ever made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. It is time for the Democrats to beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
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I believe that when we work together, America will do things that others don’t. We need to remember we are the United States of America.
Many Democrats, including some of Biden’s key allies, also raised concerns over the president’s viability as a candidate going forward and reportedly mounted pressure campaigns to encourage Biden’s withdrawal from the election. Party leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Jim Clyburn believed it was good to question Biden’s fitness for office. Pelosi said in an interview with MSNBC that it was a legitimate question to ask if this was an episode or a condition. Schumer and Jeffries told the president that party members weren’t happy with Biden on the ticket and wanted him out. Others, like senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, along with a number of representatives, called for Biden to drop out of the election.
He wheeled out new attack lines on Trump in a retooled stump speech — only to have to immediately scale back his rhetoric in the wake of an assassination attempt on Trump. As Republicans gathered at their national convention, he tried to campaign in Nevada to create some counterprogramming — then got COVID, sending him into isolation in Delaware.
Biden did a series of campaign stops and speeches in key states, giving fiery speeches to try to demonstrate that he “just had a bad night” at the debate. He gave a lengthy solo press conference, and sat for televised interviews.
Biden criticized the “elites” in his party. “I don’t care what those ‘big names’ think. They were wrong about the red wave in three years. Biden spoke on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on July 8.
He told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that only the “Lord Almighty” could make him drop out of the race, and privately met with Democratic lawmakers, governors, and donors to make his case.
The performance sent Democrats into a panic, and prompted a steady drip of private and public calls for Biden to step back from the campaign and make way for a new candidate.
The president spoke with a raspy voice, seemed overwhelmed at times, and didn’t make the points he wanted to make about his reelection platform, including protecting abortion access.
The goal was to send a clear message to Biden’s doubters: that he could swat away concerns about his age by showing off his first-term record and decades-long political tenure.
Lyndon B. Johnson drops out of the 2020 reelection race, endorses Harris for nominee and the “Hunger Games”
Lyndon B. Johnson dropped out of the presidential race in 1968 during a live television address in protest of the Vietnam War.
He made his decision just a month ahead of the convention. But the path ahead to Nov. 5 is unclear, and it will be difficult for the party to get organized on time.
When your arm is tired out and there is a danger for the team to ignore the numbers, there’s no shame in showing your appreciation to the crowd.
When Biden got into the presidential race in 2020, he called himself a bridge for younger stars in the Democratic party, endorsing Harris, Booker and Whitmer.
“I realized … After being in Senate for a long time, he was able to know how to deal with Congress in order to get things done. I want to finish it and get that done.
But instead, Democrats are now under intense pressure to choose an alternate candidate in an extremely compressed time period that one Biden adviser compared to the “Hunger Games.”
Associated Press: President Joe Biden, the Red State, Kamala Harris and the America’s Most Correlation-Frequentist
Democratic governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gavin Newsom of California, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Wes Moore of Maryland are also seen as leaders in the party. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s reelection win in his red state could add his name to the mix.
They immediately turned their attention to Harris, accusing her of covering up Biden’s mental decline, and criticized her record on the border.
As second in command and a completely unskilled border czar, Harris has been a gleeful accessory in the destruction of America’s sovereignty, security, and prosperity. She has known for as long as anyone of [Biden’s] incapacity to serve,” Johnson wrote.
Democrats responded with a mix of laudatory statements focused solely on Biden and support for elevating Vice President Kamala Harris. Top leaders primarily focused on Biden.
House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries stated in a statement that ” President Joe Biden is one of the most consequential leaders in American history.” America is a better place today because President Joe Biden has led us with intellect, grace and dignity. We are eternally grateful.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, also released a statement that did not mention Harris, a fellow Californian. Pelosi said Biden’s “vison, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history.
“There’s so much at stake this election — let’s unite as a country behind Vice President Kamala Harris and rise victorious over extremism this November,” she wrote. This is a critical election, for women’s reproductive rights, for democracy, and for our future.
Joe Biden’s Letter to the Associated Press after the Corrupt eviction of J.D. Vance to the Preliminary Election
President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday following a nearly monthlong pressure campaign mounted by Democratic leaders and donors to oust him.
Biden wrote that he would explain his decision to the nation later this week, but the letter didn’t provide a lot of information.
The New York Times reported that Laurene Powell Jobs and other Democrats began to talk about whether Biden should be replaced before or during the convention.
“I have seen some emails from people in Silicon Valley who said, ‘I’m not going to donate more until I have more confidence,’” Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn founder and Biden donor, told WIRED earlier this month.
The Democratic candidate will face a Republican Party newly energized by the victory of its populist wing and an alliance with powerful Silicon Valley investors like Elon Musk—both represented in the ascension of 39-year-old Peter Thiel acolyte J.D. Vance to the ticket as Trump’s vice president and heir apparent.