White House pressed on Biden’s decision to exit 2024 race

The White House was pressed Thursday by reporters about why President Joe Biden bailed on his reelection bid but did not necessarily give a straight answer.

"I think the president actually answered this question," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked for clarification on Biden's reasoning. A reporter interjected, "He didn't."

Biden announced his exit on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sunday afternoon and then followed that up with a Wednesday evening address from the Oval Office. However, he did not explicitly state his reasons for pulling out of the campaign.

"I think the American people think he answered the question," Jean-Pierre asserted over the reporter's objections. "He said, 'I revere this office, but I love my country more.'"

She then proceeded to quote more from Biden's 10-minute address.

The president had previously outlined a few reasons he might leave the race, including if "the Lord Almighty" told him to, if his health failed, or if polls showed that he could not win. He has maintained that his health remains strong, and while he did not say so explicitly, Biden implied that he felt he could not win the race.

“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merited a second term,” he said. “But nothing — nothing — can come in the way of saving our democracy; that includes personal ambition. So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.”

Jean-Pierre also spoke about unity, leading Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller to ask if Biden believed his presence in the race was divisive.

"I'm not going to get into more than what the president laid out," Jean-Pierre said. "I think he laid out very clearly why he decided to make this decision."

Democrats were divided over Biden's role as the party's standard bearer, with more than two dozen elected members of the party calling for his ouster before last weekend. Since then, the party has seemingly united behind Vice President Kamala Harris, with nearly every big name with the exception of former president Barack Obama backing her candidacy.

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Biden has backed Harris as well, endorsing her half an hour after announcing he would drop out of the race and embracing her during his Wednesday night address.

"I’d like to thank our great vice president, Kamala Harris,” Biden said. “She’s experienced. She’s tough. She’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country. Now the choice is up to you, the American people.”