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[NOTE: YOU CAN FOLLOW OUR LATEST COVERAGE ON BIDEN'S DEPARTURE IN OUR LIVEBLOG HERE. THIS ARTICLE IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED]
JOE BIDEN HAS dropped out of the US presidential race, confirming that he will not seek a second term.
“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it in the best interest for the 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,” he said in a post to X.
He thanked Kamala Harris for being an “extraordinary partner” in her role as Vice President, and the American people for their “faith and trust” in him.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
In a follow-up post, seperate from his statement, Biden endorsed Harris for the Democratic nomination.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.
It’s time to come together and beat Trump.
The Democratic Party will hold its convention in Chicago next month, when they will officially choose their nominee for the White House.
He says he will speak to the nation “in detail” about his decision later.
“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 we are the United States of America,” he concluded.
CNN reported that, in a phone call with the network minutes after Biden’s announcement, his would-be opponent Donald Trump said: “He is the worst president in the history of our country. He goes down as the single worst president by far in the history of our country.”
Biden, who is 81-years-old, came under pressure from both friends and foes to exit the race and make way for a younger candidate.
They’ve voiced concerns about his mental fitness after his disastrous debate performance against former president Trump.
Biden had blamed his meek performance on jetlag and a cold.
He said that only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to halt his campaign.
Three days ago, he announced he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was experiencing “mild symptoms”.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin reacted to Biden’s departure from the race with “both sadness and admiration”.
In a post to X, he shared photos of him with the US President, describing him as an “abiding friend of Ireland”.
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Sadly, it’s for the best. I like Joe. Now, let’s hope they can select someone to take on the grotesque ogre that is Trump.
@John John: This isn’t about me, John John. It’s about selecting the right candidate to beat Trump. Move along now.
@John John: trump hates palestine just as much. lesser of two evils
@William Slevin: THANKFULLY!!!!
The good people of Ukraine, Palestine, Israel & ( even) Russia cam wake up to a brighter future tomorrow for the first time in a long time.
Trump . Vance…….. The A TEAM
@honey badger: AOC for president!!! Someone young and vibrant!
@William Slevin: Ah jaysus you’re absolutely nuts.
@John John: supporting Isreal to destroy Hamas is the only way for there to be peace in Palestine
@William Slevin: unfortunately I think you are right.
@9QRixo8H: She’d be certainly divisive among Democrats and wouldn’t have a hope of getting enough votes nation wide to win the Presedency. Biden for all his faults was a uniting candidate and got the nomination last time out as he was the only one capable of defeating Trump. This time, I’d be highly surprised if anyone on the Democratic side can get close to Trump in November.
@David Doran: hows that going so far dave? Palestine is hell on earth, and the majority of casualties are women and children.
@Buster Lawless: trump will hand ukraine over to Russia.
@Buster Lawless:
I’m living in Ukraine and to say that we are dreading a potential second term by Trump is an understatement
@Longlin: They may find another moderate. Like Newsom or Raskin. Or maybe a woman for once. But exciting nonetheless.
@William Slevin: seriously is this all you do comment on other comments. If anything you are suspicious. More to life than worrying about what other people think. Why don’t you go for a jog have a pint do something before you go to far down that rabbit hole
@William Slevin: You overlook middle America, which is not guntoting, rabid, but quietly voting very sensibly. The Trump razmataz might be great tv, but actually worries the undemonstrative quiet US voter on both traditions.
The US has a sound democratic base that will dismiss the 1930s flag waving assemblies in 2024.
@William Slevin: in fairness, you come across (and have done for a long time) as a complete brainwashed craic pot!!!!
@Setanta O’Toole:
According to hamas!
@William Slevin: and, as it turns out, special forces…
@William Slevin: wouldn’t fret about that skulduggery William……the most important result is the one on November 5th…..AND ITS LOOKING GREAT
Trump/ Vance 2024
@John John: Trump?
@William Slevin:
@William Slevin: Maybe there’s a lot of people who see through the lies, the endless lies from the Trump camp? People who can see a huckster and conman for what he is. The fact he’s now pretending to be god fearing Christian has to be the most laughable of all his lies. It’s absolutely damning when it comes to the savvy and intelligence of his supporters. There is nothing, literally nothing they won’t believe. Anyone, literally anyone but Trump. An amoral manipulative liar you wouldn’t trust to look after a sandwich.
@William Slevin:
Just because President Biden is not running for re election doesn’t mean the people will vote for the appaling,lying,corrupt,dishonest,scheming,swindling ,abuser,who is mentally unstable.
@William Slevin: would you give it over, you insult everyone who doesn’t agree with you and you cry about free speech and I ask a question and you get offended and cry victim to try silence and censor. Look at all the opinions of the other commenters here for a better self reflection of yourself. And the article has over 40k of views as of now so it is only natural that a comment like Honey’s has a lot of likes, it is no conspiracy, don’t get prone to falling down rabbit holes.
@William Slevin:
Sounds like you are jealous William.Go have a lie down.
@William Slevin: my god, how is it that you can be so full of shyte? It’s borderline psychotic at this stage.
@William Slevin: I get that he’s turned everything upside down but I can’t agree this has been in a good way. He has broken all trust in all institutions. Healthy scepticism is a good thing. Driving people to disbelieve even the most obvious truths simply because he says so is not just unhealthy, it’s dangerous. He lies and lies and lies. How can this be a good thing?
The militias who allegedly love freedom look an awful lot like a bunch of bullies who are armed to the teeth and happy to use violence if they don’t get their way. The Democrat voter base simply isn’t the one that’s armed to the teeth. They would likely lose in a civil war so it doesn’t make sense that they would want a civil war.
@William Slevin: 47k views and a lot of people hate Trump. That many likes isn’t unreasonable. Why would these “operatives” leave such obvious breadcrumbs that even the most dull could pick up on?
@William Slevin: your absolute obsession and dedication to Trump. Seriously, no one has commented as much in such admiration and sycophancy as you. It’s actually messed up!
@honey badger: grow a pair, dumbasz
@SerotoninWars: This
@calvin sweeney: really? You’d prefer a Biden/Harris & Zelensky commitment to continuous war?
@David Doran: if you want to destroy “Hamas” you say, it’s very simple.I$rael needs to get out of Palestine and stop their illegal occupation,simple as.Hamas(who i$rael use to fund)is the result of that.by the way, Hamas were elected in official elections, supervised by the US who validated them.it’s not because they convinced the US to put Hamas on the terrorists list,that they are.many countries do not recognise/consider Hamas as a terrorist organisation.who are the US, UK…to tell Palestinians who should govern them?
Trump 24 …..all the way
@and the hit’s just keep coming:
…
The
R@pist
Undemocratic
Mob
President
…
@and the hit’s just keep coming: He’s gonna put those radical lefty’s out of business for sure
@Alan: A LOT of attrition a coming Nov 5th
@and the hit’s just keep coming: that trump man is a bad man
@cora galloway: chuck Norris couldn’t even stop him
He’s done the right thing.
He was so likely to lose to Trump and the deeply sinister Project 2025 cabal behind him.
He can enjoy the legacy of being the man who saved American democracy if Harris, Whitmer, Newsom or whoever the democratic party selects wins in November.
They have plenty of talented people but they should try and get behind one as quickly as possible as a devisive campaign is the last thing they need.
Well Done Joe, enjoy your retirement.
@John John: it wants a blanket ban on abortion and forced birth across the entire country
@John John: He’s the Ultimate Hypocrite on Abortion. We all know he’s paid for a few himself, having bragged about all the unprotected sex he had in the 1980s.
He appointed three anti-choice supreme court justices who overturned Roe Vs Wade resulting in Abortion becoming illegal in much of the country.
He knows this is unpopular as there is a significant pro-choice majority in the country so that’s why he’s distancing himself from the consequences of his vile, hypocritical actions.
@9QRixo8H: That’s complete and utter nonsense. Since Roe V Wade was reversed, abortion is now legislated at the State level. Neither the president or Congress has a say. Trump’s official agenda is Agenda 47. Project 2025 is a loose coalition of people on the right with various different policy proposals (some of which align with Agenda 47 and some that don’t). Democrats will do their usual for the next 3 months: fear monger about abortion, social security, say Trump will be a dictator (even though he was president for 4 years and never acted like a dictator). Panic. The Democrat Party is falling apart. Just like in 2016 when they rigged the Primary against Bernie Sanders, they’re now doing the same again and bypassing voters. Party elites have known about his mental condition for 4 years.
@John John: His most UP TO DATE stance?
You’re saying the quiet bit out loud there buddy, admitting that your hero will change his position on the issue to whatever he thinks is most politically expedient at any given time.
To answer your poorly phrased question, he will “work” with Project 2025 by signing bills they propose into law as they are ideologically aligned with him on most of the major issues, they are composed largely of people from the last Trump administration and they mention his name countless times in their document as they consider him the best man to implement their deeply sinister agenda.
@John John: A man who has no problem with abortion being made illegal can’t work with people who want to ban abortion?
That’s the sort of wildly illogical argument I’d expect from you.
So very sad. A good man. But I am glad that he has the insight to recognise the problems. Aging isent easy in the public eye
I’m 77 and have to remind myself of that fact occasionally. Good luck to you president Biden. I hope the Democrats make a wise choice as your replacement. Trump dare not win.
@Patricia Mc namara: Good luck to you Patricia ,keep her lit,it’s only a number .
@Patricia Mc namara: he’s only being kicked out because he is a white Christian man.
@Jason geraghty: An Orange atheist sexual assaulter pretending to be a pro-life christian for votes is getting in then, funny how things turn out.
@Jason geraghty: he is a tired old man. In the cut throat business of politics, it takes a ruthlessness and.a younger person to win.
The all ireland was too much for him.
Us Irish should never forget the support he showed for us and the way he turned his back to the British in many regards. Ultimately a sad way for him to go, should’ve made this decision months ago
Good riddance Joe.
why bother having an election in November just announce Donald Trump as the next president
Because, democracy.
@John Deane: That’s probably what Trump wanted in 2020 too, sure feck democracy.
@John Deane: That only happens in Ireland remember all our unelected.
@David Murray: like who?
@Setanta O’Toole: Guess?
@David Murray: You’ll probably say the Taoiseach. Who is never elected by the people, ever.
@Setanta O’Toole: Guess again?
@John Deane:
That’s the way the dictator would like to have it,fortunately the public will have their say,and the Dumpard will be dumped again
Correct decision. I believe history will now be kind to Mr. Biden.
@Brian Dunne: If history chooses to ignore his providing of weapons to a genocidal apartheid state.
@Brian Dunne: DOUBT that….way too many widows & orphans in Ukraine, Russia, Palestine & Israel…… Biden was a warmonger plain and simple…… thankfully, the President of Peace will be back at the helm Nov 5th
@Buster Lawless: Trump was impeached for witholding aid to Ukraine unless they did his bidding, he boasted of a one state solution on a presidential visit to Israel in the past. That means total destruction of Palestine. If you think his election will be a great panacea for the people of Ukraine of Palestine, you are delusional and/or clueless. Bibi and Vlad certainly though.
@Setanta O’Toole: ye lefties and bidenbots…….. Oh, I’m SO LOVING THE MELTDOWN
@Buster Lawless: What meltdown? I don’t see any here
@Setanta O’Toole: Trump was impeached for talking about Biden’s corrupt family dealings in Ukraine and the DNC Server held by Crowdstrike (never inspected by The US government). Fixed it for ya. Obama/Biden carried out a coup in Ukraine in 2014 and set the stage for ultimate conflict with nuclear-armed Russia. That is why The Democrats were so panicked and created the Russiagate hoax. They criminalised diplomacy with Russia and set us on the path to WW3. All for power and control over resources. Thankfully more people are awake to this. Trump says he will facilitate peace and I believe him. Democrats have nothing but a divide & conquer agenda, relentless fear mongering & propaganda. I cannot wait until they are out of power and people who actually want good relations and peace replace them
@Jonathan Moloney: if by ‘fixed it’ you mean parroted back a massively debunked conspiracy theory, have a gold star. Did Trump ‘facilitate peace’ in his first term? No. He was a war monger, whos civilian drone casualties far outweigh the previous administration. Just enacted legislation to cover it up. Drone strikes ramped up 400 fold in 4 years compared to Obama’s 8. Syria bombed. Backed Saudis in Yemen which resulted in thousands of civilian casualties. Bolstered the taliban in Afghanistan to a position of complete power and blamed Biden for the fallout. Refused to condemn neo-nazis after killing innocent civilians domestically. But says he is a pacifist over and over and over again until gullible dullards believe him. Why do you think anything will be different in a new term?
Holy moses. Now they may finally have one good candidate. Hopefully younger. Things are about to get interesting.
@9QRixo8H: He’s endorsed Kamala Harris to take over his campaign so that’s a no on that I’m afraid.
@Ger Whelan: You’re anti women venom is showing
A good day for PEACE!!!!!!!!
TRUMP & Vance had it ‘in the bag’ anyhow
@Buster Lawless: Skum trump won’t win…
@Ian: it’s happening. Cope.
@Seamus: It isn’t though. Lol deal with it.
@Ian: trump is 4-7 fav, brave man to think he wont win.
Should have made this decision months ago
A good news story!!!!
A good day for peace & prosperity.
TRUMP & VANCE//////. The A TEAM
@Buster Lawless: Skum trump won’t win.
Us voter here. So saddened by this. Biden led with integrity and grit. Best President I have seen in my 38 years here. The republican convention was far from a kingmaking event and even the Trump shooting has faded quickly from the news cycle though I believe he is selling bandages now. God spare the US from him and the crypto bro shills. My wish for President would be Elizabeth Warren. She is humble dedicated and here to serve just like Biden
Well done Joe Biden for doing the right thing
Cork stepped out too
Good call Joe, enjoy your time with family.
Too late
This really should have been the default position by Biden after the 2020 election. He is less impaired than his debate performance would suggest, but he’s simply too old and he and his advisors completely messed up on the basics for that debate. Sound bites do really matter, because it is what most voters will remember. Biden’s performance was so poor that even Trump was able to effortlessly toss off three highly effective lines at Biden’s expense. It would be very difficult to overcome that initial performance in the public consciousness. As for Trump….the garish, tacky lights spelling out his name at the convention emphasised that he is famous for being famous. That lighting immediately reminded me of the GOP failing to put forward a single policy for Trump’s 2020 campaign.
Whoops. He just endorsed Harris. Someone is pulling his strings
@Kieran Mac C: Champagne flowing freely in Mar-a-largo tonight……. There’s better craic in the Trump’s camp than in Clare changing room
And now tables turn. Now the new candidate definitely will be younger than Trump. And he will be old, demented one. Too old for presidency.
@Adam Hernes: lol!
@Adam Hernes: he is old and demented by any normal metric, this is America though. The only difference is it’s not as noticeable because he has been waffling his whole life, i’ve never heard him use a coherent sentence unless it’s off an autocue. He will be at biden’s level within 1-2 years and every republican slating the democrats for defending him will be doing the exact same thing.
Stephen Donnelly is said to be putting his name forward……
@Nicky Higgins: Christ he’s worse than Trump!
Was always going to happen after the spectacular debacle that was the debate with President Trump.
And what happened after, calling his Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin “the black guy” and mistaking a complete blond stranger for his wife, only made it more obvious.
The reality is that Joe Biden was in charge of nothing, the guy has been a walking vegetable for a long time.
What happened over the last few weeks was that his family, as is their wont, have been negotiating an acceptable payoff.
They weren’t known as the Bribem family for nothing.
@Garry Coll: wasnt it trump that made that gaffe not being able to identify his ex wife? Unless they both did it.
@Setanta O’Toole:
Perhaps Setanta, not something I have heard about or when it happened.
Butt President Trump has been married so many times that such a gaffe could be put down to an abberation.
Whereas with Biden it all feeds into a pattern of decrepitude and senility.
@Garry Coll: lol. He had a picture of his sexual assault victim inches from his face and thought it was his ex-wife. He’s been married 3 times. Hardly Joan Collins. You are making excuses for ‘President’ Trump’s own burgeoning senility because you support him.
@Setanta O’Toole:
I was looking at some of the posts you have made to other comments on this thread, and to describe you as having a split personality disorder would be overly generous.
In any event, Biden’s departure from the race was more down to the fact that the Democrat megadonors told the party Trump him or the funds would dry up.
Money talks more loudly than anything else in US politics.
@Garry Coll: resort to ad hominems because you know what i said is true so, good man.
@Setanta O’Toole:
He gets them all mixed up at his age,and mental decline.
Correct decision. It’s a pity as I liked him in general but for his own health and legacy he had to go. God bless him in his retirement. I hope the Democrats do him and the country justice by picking a good candidate to run against the orange yoke
Thanks Joe, it was right to go.
The US needs a new generation of sensible,able leadership, so hopefully the people will select a new Pres and VP who will have national support.
So given that Mr. Trump is set in ways that seem out of synch with rational politics, perhaps the focus should shift to offering an alternative Republican canditature.
The US and disturbed world needs sound US leadership, not demagoggery on either shade.
Donald Trump calls Biden to say, sorry to hear your pulling out if election race.Joe Bidens response,Donald who……..
S’funny but when this story broke I was listening to ‘ beautiful day’ by U2
Seemed very appropriate
@Buster Lawless: cool story bro….
They can put him to sleep now
@Paul A Kane: you are an insensitive creature.
He took the Lowry collapse harder than we thought . Joe being born in 4 counties in Ireland never suited him
This man has the blood of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians on his hands. History will remember him for his ongoing support of the Netanyahu led genocide. 333 million people in the USA and it came down to a choice between him, already well into cognitive decline and the orange megalomaniac. America has serious problems. Interesting to see who replaces him.
@W Jones: You think Trump will be any better?
@David O Brien: 100%. Trump was president for four years. First president in almost half a century not to start any new wars. He was able to keep other countries’ leaders in check. People need to get past the idea that you have to be in love with a person’s personality for them to be a good president. It’s not about your feelings. It’s about what’s practical and what’s the reality. And in that sense Trump succeeded, in spite of the relentless attacks on him. His policies are by and large common sense and centrist overall. Democrats are chaotic and divisive. All things being fair, Trump will win big in November.
@David O Brien: Did the fact that I referred to Trump as the “Orange megalomaniac” not give you a clue as to what I think of him?. Trump would not have done any better and may even have been worse. My point was regarding the presidential talent available to the USA.
@Jonathan Moloney: He bombed Syria in 2018. That alone debunks the ‘no new wars’ bs. Also all being fair, the candidate who wins the electoral college will win the election. I know you Trumpers aren’t too au fait with how democracy works.
Hold on, he’s endorsed Laughing Gas Kamala, when all eyes are on Killary Clinton…
the US president is unfit to command the immense power he has retained, it is patently beyond his capacity. His non-endorsement of his VP is not purposeful, its a reflection of his incapacity. How does the most powerful nation on the world end up with a cognitively xxxxxx leader?
@Kieran Mac C: he does not.know the difference between his Harris and our Harris. Leader dysphoria
@Kieran Mac C: you talking to yourself? Forget to switch accounts? Hmmm?
He’s not taking Corks loss well
If he was just a bit younger he would thrash Trump no problem but he’s just become too frail in the last couple of years and the debate spelled the end for him realistically. What’s more it’s hard to Imagine him still being the President in like 3 years time. It’s for the best.
Cats are like microwaves the greatest gift is the ability to forget …..Joe Biden
america is a nation that can be described in a single word, asufutimaehaehfutbw
Someone told me he dropped out i said i am not surprised he was always falling over
Not an easy decision but a right one
Another item of deep import is how US middle east policy will shape under Trump.
He is already a Ukraine sceptic, statiting he wiĺl sort it with a phone call, but with no indication on what basis. Whether it is based on Trump property “investments” in Moscow or Ukraine is unclear, but prior form suggests there wils be a Trumpist quidproquo.
So when US commitment to Israel comes under Trumpist focus, where’s the payoff?
Netanyahu and co. need to worry, because Arab oil dollars are very tempting booty.
@William Kelly: oil dollars?BRIC no longer uses US dollars to buy oil. The exact reason they killed Gaddafi.
Well done Joe, Kamala 2024
Certainly wouldn’t call him a laim duck as you would his former
The right decision.. ageing is something no one can escape..
Unburdened by what has been… welcome car crash No.2
Mark Kelly for the White house.
Gretchen Whitmer 2024!
@Susan Cody: the lady who helped stage her own kidnapping and who had a cryptic Trump assassination message in a livestream of hers? Nice!
How can a man found guilty of rape stand for president
I wish he had done it sooner.i don’t know if it was his ego or his wife stopping him.
have your say