President Joe Biden has done the right thing by ending his 2024 presidential reelection campaign. In a letter to the nation released on Sunday, the president observed that "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."
In a separate note, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. We'll now have to see whether anyone else jumps into the nomination race. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) all seem like possible contenders to challenge Harris at next month's Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Still, the key point to make here is that Biden has done the right thing.
To be sure, it shouldn't have taken this long for the president to reach this decision. Biden's mental frailty is both undeniable and incompatible with the responsibilities of his office. The president had been poorly served by the advice of his family, particularly first lady Jill Biden and his son Hunter Biden, to remain in the race. Apparently absorbed by the trappings of power, those who should have put their loved ones and the country first decided to put their own interests first.
Had senior Democrats not spoken out with increasing voice and increasing number against Biden's candidacy, it is highly unlikely that Biden would have come to this juncture. It also bears noting that the prospect of Democratic down ballot devastation appears to have been as important to Biden's decision as that of the national interest.
And yet it took courage and grace for Biden to get to this place. The president truly believes as many Americans believe that Trump poses a mortal threat to the nation and its democratic character. Biden believed that he was the best candidate to defeat Trump in November . To end his campaign in face of these beliefs cannot have been easy. But it was the right decision for the country.
In making this decision, Biden has also thrown down a potential contrast for the nation. Voters will be able to assess Biden's ultimately patriotic decision alongside the decisions that Trump makes before November. If Trump's ego returns to displace his present birth of at least slight humility as the dominating force in his political calculus, voters may take more negative notice of it.
Whether Harris indeed replaces Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee is not yet clear. But with a more youthful refresh, the Democrats surely have at least a chance to overcome their present difficulties. And the country will at least now have a proper choice between two individuals who are able to perform the basic functions of our most important office.
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Biden was right to end his letter on a note of optimism. As he put it, "I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can't do — when we do it together. We just have to remember that we are the United States of America ."
Well said.
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