During an appearance on CBS, 81-year-old Joe Biden finally came clean about why he abruptly dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
Biden admits that he was forced out by key Democrat figures.
“Look, the polls we had showed that it was a neck and neck race. Would have been down to the wire,” Biden said. “But what happened was a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the races.”
“And I was concerned if I stayed in the race, that would be the topic you’d be interviewing me about. Why did Nancy Pelosi say? Why did someone… and I thought it’d be a real distraction.”
In July, a source told Politico: “Nancy made clear that they could do this the easy way or the hard way. She gave them three weeks of the easy way. It was about to be the hard way.”
“We were giving him the respect of the weekend to make his decision. We were hopeful that this is the decision we would make,” the source said.
In a series of crucial meetings spread over three days, Biden held private discussions with top Democratic leaders, including Pelosi, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Schumer even made a discreet visit to Biden’s beach vacation home in Delaware.
The move to step down was reportedly influenced by Democratic heavyweights such as Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Hakeem Jeffries, all of whom were allegedly worried about the repercussions of Biden’s candidacy on their own electoral prospects. The internal push came in the wake of Biden’s contentious debate performance against former President Donald Trump in late June, which many saw as detrimental to his campaign.
Biden faced significant dissent within the Democratic Party, leading to his decision to withdraw from the presidential race.
Following his exit, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who has since gained ground against former President Donald Trump.
This development highlights concerns about Biden’s campaign viability, which were also echoed by former President Barack Obama.
Democratic operatives were discussing contingency plans, yet Biden’s abrupt withdrawal surprised even his close advisors.
Shortly after, Nancy Pelosi officially endorsed Harris as the party’s next leader, signaling a shift in the party’s direction amid preparations for a competitive election.
