Biden drops out of 2024 race, Russia questions intentions
11:24 AM EDT, July 22, 2024
Joe Biden has withdrawn from running for the office of President of the USA. The first comment from Russia came from Maria Zakharova on Telegram. "Joe Biden announced that he is withdrawing from the presidential race but didn't specify where exactly he plans to step down," wrote the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Maria Zakharova's post is the first reaction from Russia to Joe Biden's withdrawal. The spokesperson noted that the current President of the USA did not specify "where exactly" he plans to step down.
"The next step should be an investigation into the conspiracy of American media and political circles to conceal his (Joe Biden's - ed.) true mental health condition, manipulating public opinion and playing games with one political party," added Zakharova.
Officially, Russia remains neutral regarding the presidential elections in the USA, but as The Moscow Times reported in early July, many don't hide their sympathies and support for Donald Trump.
Joe Biden will not run for re-election
Joe Biden announced that he is withdrawing from striving for re-election. "I believe it is in the best interest of my party and country for me to step down," stated the President of the USA.
The President announced his decision in a statement published Sunday evening Eastern Time on the X platform.
"Serving as your President has been the greatest honor of my life. And while my intention was to run for re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and country for me to step down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," stated Joe Biden in the statement published on the X platform.
For several days, there were reports in the media that Joe Biden would withdraw from seeking re-election this weekend. It was related to the enormous pressure that in recent days "became unbearable" - reported the American portal Axios.
Biden would like his current Vice President Kamala Harris to become the new Democratic candidate. "Dear Democrats, I want to give my full support to Kamala Harris as our party's candidate in the presidential election," he wrote on the X platform.