Biden drops re‑election bid, leaves democrats in disarray

Although growing pressure on Joe Biden to withdraw from seeking re-election in the November presidential elections had been building for several weeks, his decision shocked the political scene in the USA. American media are widely commenting on Biden's decision and the challenges facing the Democrats.

Joe Biden announced on Sunday evening Eastern Time that he is withdrawing from running for the office of President of the USA. "Although my intention was to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to step aside and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," he wrote in a statement on platform X.

His decision shocked the American political scene and is widely commented on by leaders around the world. Biden's resignation is also the main topic in the media in the USA.

"It took Joe Biden nearly half a century to rise to the top of American politics, a climb marked by tragedy and crowned by triumph. However, the fall proved to be brutally swift," write the journalists of Time on the cover story.

They analyze Biden's accomplishments as President and the last weeks of his campaign. They try to answer the headline: "Why did Joe Biden drop out?"

The Wall Street Journal prepared a political profile of Joe Biden.

"President Biden's decision to halt his re-election campaign stunningly ends one of the longest and most significant careers in modern American politics, which granted him a key role in issues important to the nation for over half a century," writes a WSJ journalist.

New York Post describes Kamala Harris as "Biden 2.0".

According to the Los Angeles Times, several recent polls show that Vice President Kamala Harris is now very close to the results that Donald Trump would achieve.

Washington Post emphasized that Biden's statement caused a shock in the political world. "It has plunged the Democratic Party into an unprecedented race to anoint a new candidate to face former President Donald Trump," the newspaper highlights.

As noted by the New York Times, Biden's decision announced on Sunday to withdraw from running in the November presidential elections, amid pressure from close allies out of concerns that he is too weak and old to defeat Donald Trump, has caused chaos.