The political world is reacting to the historic, stunning news that President Joe Biden is ending his re-election bid and has endorsed Vice President and former Senator from California Kamala Harris.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden said in an open letter posted to X, formerly 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.”
Former President Donald Trump wasted no time making a statement on Sunday, and turning it into a campaign message as he seeks the Presidency once again as the Republican nominee.
“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement,” Trump posted to Truth Social at 11:29 a.m. “All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t – And now, look what he’s done to our Country, with millions of people coming across our Border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists. We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Staunch Biden-supporters, meanwhile, are congratulating the 81-year-old President for his career and life devotion to public service.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who was previously one of the potential candidates rumored to be in consideration to be Biden’s replacement, praised the President in a post to X.
“President Biden has been an extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans,” Newsom said. “He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.”
U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez, who serves most of the City of Los Angeles in Congress, praised Biden’s accomplishments in a statement.
“As he has done throughout his public service career, President Biden is once again prioritizing the American people and doing all possible to secure the strongest, brightest and most stable future for our nation,” Gomez said. “The president’s decision to step aside is bigger than one election or one candidate—it is about the kind of country we want to be in the long run. Now is the time to unify and continue Democrats’ longtime fight for working people across this country.”
U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House who represents San Francisco, thanked Biden for his service in a post to X.
“President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first. His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history,” Pelosi said. “With love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfillment. God blessed America with Joe Biden’s greatness and goodness.”
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass called Biden “one of the most successful and consequential Presidents in American history,” in a statement.
“I know that this work will continue through the remainder of the President’s term, and I look forward to continuing to partner with him and Vice President Harris to deliver results for those whom we serve,” she said. “On behalf of the people of Los Angeles, I want to thank President Biden for his continuing service to this city, this state and this nation.”
Bass later endorsed Kamala Harris for President.
Senator from California and former L.A. City Council Member Alex Padilla said Biden “put our country first,” and praised his long career.
“During his presidency, he led the nation out of a crippling pandemic and revived our economy with record job creation and historic low unemployment,” Padilla said. “He delivered transformational bipartisan victories to invest in our infrastructure and lower costs for working families. And he restored America’s leadership on the world stage by defending democracy in Ukraine.”
Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) praised Biden’s “tremendous” track record and commended him for bringing the United States out of a difficult period.
“I must start by saying thank you, President Biden, for your tremendous track record of selflessly serving the American people over five decades in public office,” Kamlager-Dove said in a statement. “[Thank you] for leading with empathy and integrity and for working to forge a nation that lives up to its founding ideals of liberty, equality and justice for all. America is better because of your courageous leadership.”
California Sen. Laphonza Butler also remarked on Biden’s service and patriotism while remaining cautious of “the threat” to the progress he has made during his time in office.
“Our nation owes President Biden a debt of gratitude for his service and patriotism, especially in making such a difficult decision,” Butler said. “Thanks to his leadership, the American people have witnessed historic investments in education, infrastructure and so much more. The threat to all that progress remains, and we must now do everything we can to ensure Vice President Harris succeeds. There’s no one better prepared for this challenge.”
The chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Mark Ramos, expressed his deep appreciation for Biden and his legacy in a statement.
“Incredible leadership and steadfast moral character are how I describe President Joe Biden…his policies and legislative victories guided us through a dark time in our history and laid the foundation for returning manufacturing jobs to our country,” Ramos said. “His presidency was the steady hand we needed to prepare our country for a prosperous future and a better tomorrow for working people in America. Now, we must continue carrying forward his legacy into a new chapter of leadership for the Democratic Party.”
Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) stated that Biden restored American leadership and moral authority throughout the world without “kowtowing to dictators who threaten global stability.”
“President Joe Biden will be remembered as one of the greatest Presidents of our time…I know his decision to step aside was a difficult one, but as always, he put our country first,” Brownley said. “When he took office in 2021, he faced the daunting task of uniting the country during unprecedented times. Our economy was in free fall from the crippling effects of a global pandemic and our democracy was endangered by insurrectionists and those who sought to destroy our Constitutional process and democratic elections…only Joe Biden could have been up to this challenging task and succeeded.”