Hello everyone! Picture this: President Joe Biden, surrounded by a tight-knit group of trusted advisers and his wife, Jill Biden, at their vacation home on the Delaware coast. It was a Saturday evening, and the President was reflecting on his long political journey, a career spanning over fifty years. He was coming to a tough conclusion: his political career would end sooner than he had planned.
Biden, feeling isolated, frustrated, and downright angry, felt let down by allies who turned their backs on him just when he needed them the most. A person close to Biden’s inner circle revealed, “He’s really pissed off.” Despite his anger, Biden realized he couldn’t keep his campaign alive with plummeting poll numbers, dwindling donations, and influential party members urging him to step aside.
This pivotal weekend and the events leading up to Biden’s shocking announcement were pieced together through interviews with two dozen Democrats familiar with the situation. On Sunday, Biden made separate phone calls to key figures, including Vice President Kamala Harris, his White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, and his campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, to inform them he was ending his re-election bid. This move highlighted just how much Biden’s inner circle had shrunk recently, relying heavily on family and a few close advisers.
The timing of Biden’s decision caught many by surprise, even though White House and campaign officials had anticipated the outcome. Most learned of the news along with the rest of the world when Biden posted his announcement on X. This also came as a shock to Democratic National Committee officials and state party chairs. Senior Biden aides had to quickly arrange meetings to reassure staff that their jobs were secure.
The end came abruptly but followed a grueling 25-day period marked by a disastrous debate performance on June 27. Biden failed to reassure enough fellow Democrats in subsequent appearances, leading major donors to cut off funding and elected officials to call for his withdrawal. Even former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hinted he still had a decision to make, despite Biden’s insistence on staying in the race.
As dark clouds loomed over his campaign, Biden spoke with Pelosi, though her office denied any conversation took place. Reports suggested Pelosi and her close allies had been pushing for Biden to exit the race, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries were expected to follow suit.
By Sunday afternoon, Biden had made his decision. At 1:45 p.m., he informed his senior advisers, and a minute later, his official statement was posted on X, announcing he would remain in office but step down from seeking re-election. He endorsed Kamala Harris as the best choice to lead the party against Trump in the upcoming election.
Following that, Biden’s buddy weeps on air! Lol.
It seems Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), the national co-chair of Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, decided to put on a little performance on CBS News Sunday afternoon. Apparently, he was all choked up over Biden’s decision to bow out of the 2024 race. Picture this: Coons, needing to take a dramatic pause and look away to collect himself before continuing. If only Hollywood was hiring!
When anchor Robert Costa asked Coons to give a “candid, candid assessment” of the past few days for the president, Coons responded with a line straight out of a melodrama. “Bob, as you say, Joe Biden is grounded. He’s grounded in his faith, in his family, and in our state.” At this point, the senator’s eyes reddened, and he had to excuse himself. Really tugging at the heartstrings there, Chris.
“I’m sorry,” Coons said, visibly fighting back tears. “This was a very difficult decision. And one that I think reflects the very best of who Joe Biden is.” Oh, please. This is the same Biden who’s been waffling around while his campaign crumbled. But sure, let’s paint it as a noble sacrifice.
“This is an internal party matter and a matter of the campaign that is playing out very publicly,” he said. No kidding, Chris. Your guy was barely hanging on by a thread.
But let’s get real. Coons tried to spin this as Biden putting the nation’s interest above his own, saying it was “in the best tradition of Joe Biden’s life of putting our nation before himself.” Quite the stretch, don’t you think? The reality is Biden saw the writing on the wall—slipping poll numbers, donors fleeing, and party bigwigs telling him to hit the road.
Coons concluded his tear-jerking act by saying he was “proud of him as a Delawarean, a Democrat, and an American.” Well, it looks like the Democratic scriptwriters were working overtime on this one. He also acknowledged it was probably “the hardest decision of [Biden’s] whole life.” Really, the hardest?
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a close ally of President Biden’s, tears up discussing Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid.
“This was a very difficult decision, and one that I think reflects the very best of who Joe Biden is,” Coons tells CBS News. pic.twitter.com/8sy0S0yokN
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 21, 2024
So, folks, there you have it. The Democratic Party’s dramatic farewell to Biden’s 2024 ambitions, complete with tears and all.
