Biden’s Withdrawal and Support for Harris… Behind the Scenes of the “Final Hours”
A sudden withdrawal from the elections after days of persistence was the main headline for covering President Joe Biden‘s statement, but many details remain hidden.
In a statement yesterday, President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race after long-standing doubts about his health and ability to continue in office, announcing his support for his Vice President Kamala Harris to continue the presidential race against Republican candidate Donald Trump.
This was the announcement, but many details were behind the scenes. The American site “Axios” reported, citing three of Biden‘s aides, that the latter was hesitant to withdraw from his candidacy for the presidency due to his concerns about Harris’s ability to face Trump.
According to the same sources, Biden, 81, ultimately decided to withdraw under pressure from the Democratic Party and endorsed Harris’s candidacy. However, his personal concerns reflect broader questions among some Democratic leaders about Harris as a presidential candidate in the upcoming November elections.
The final hours
According to the American newspaper “New York Times,” it started with a phone call Biden made late in the afternoon the day before yesterday, Saturday, to Steve Ricchetti, the president’s advisor, saying, “I need you and Mike at home.”
Biden was speaking on the phone from his vacation home in Rehoboth, Delaware, and was referring to Mike Donilon, the chief strategist and speechwriter.
Soon the two men were in Rehoboth, and from Saturday afternoon until late at night, the three worked on one of Biden‘s most important presidential messages, announcing his decision to withdraw from the re-election campaign.
After that, Zients and the key campaign staff gathered so Biden could inform those who worked closely with him that he was stepping down from running for a second term.
In recent weeks, Biden had tried to divert attention from his performance, described as “catastrophic” at times during the presidential debate against Donald Trump last month.
But ultimately, Biden chose to announce his decision to withdraw from the presidential race through a “letter” he worked on with Donilon, while Ricchetti focused on the next steps, such as informing the staff on how to proceed and who should be notified as well.
A veil of secrecy
All these arrangements were made in complete secrecy, as President Biden did not inform the majority of his staff of his decision until one minute before announcing the withdrawal on social media, according to the American newspapers “Washington Post” and “New York Times.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden endorsed, also learned of his decision just before it was announced.
Yesterday, Sunday, President Biden called his Vice President Harris to inform her directly of his decision and spoke individually with Jeff Zients, the White House Chief of Staff, and Jen O’Malley Dillon, his campaign chair.
One minute before Biden‘s withdrawal speech was posted, the president informed several of his advisors, including Anita Dunn, who manages communications strategy.
After that, Zients made a phone call to other White House officials to confirm the news and thank them for all their hard work, followed by a similar call from Biden to his cabinet members, who were unaware until the message was posted online.
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Biden spent part of the day making phone calls to Congressional leaders and other allies.
As soon as Biden posted his message, Harris, the first woman and first Black person to hold the position of Vice President of the United States, announced that she was ready “to win the Democratic Party nomination” with the goal of “defeating Donald Trump.”
At 59, she will be young facing Donald Trump, 78, who emerged stronger this week from the nomination convention that officially selected him as the party’s candidate.
