Top Democrats on Sunday praised President Joe Biden for his accomplishments in the White House after he ended his re-election campaign, with some following his lead by expressing support for Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place as the party's 2024 presidential nominee.
Many Republicans, meanwhile, said that Biden's decision means he shouldn't continue serving the rest of his term in the White House, which ends in January.
After Biden announced he was exiting the presidential race in a letter Sunday afternoon, he endorsed Harris in a post on X.
Follow live updates on Biden’s exit from the 2024 election
The top Democratic leaders in Congress, however, didn't offer an endorsement of Harris — or any other candidate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement, that Biden "has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he is a truly amazing human being."
“Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American," said Schumer, who served with Biden in the Senate, spoke to him Sunday afternoon, according to a source familiar with their conversation.
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House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who until Sunday had been supportive of Biden remaining in the race, said the president is “one of the most accomplished and consequential leaders in American history,” pointing to his handling of Covid and the economy and defeating Trump in 2020."
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who has significant influence in the party, said in a post on X that "God blessed America with Joe Biden’s greatness and goodness."
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"President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first. His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history," she wrote. "With love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfillment."
Pelosi had been hinting since Biden's devastating debate performance that she was concerned about his prospects in November.
Former President Barack Obama touted Biden's accomplishments in a lengthy statement, ranging from helping end the pandemic to creating millions of jobs to enacting the first major piece of gun safety legislation in 30 years.
"More than that, President Biden pointed us away from the four years of chaos, falsehood, and division that had characterized Donald Trump’s administration," Obama wrote, "For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life. But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America. It’s a testament to Joe Biden’s love of country — and a historic example of a genuine public servant once again putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own that future generations of leaders will do well to follow."
Obama didn't endorse anyone for the Democratic nomination in his statement.
In a joint statement, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that they are "honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her."
"We've lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posted by a second Trump term," they warned.
Biden decided not to run for president in the 2016 cycle against Hillary Clinton, who went on to become the Democratic presidential nominee, but lost to Donald Trump.
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a former member of Democratic leadership who was credited for turning Biden's 2020 primary campaign around, is expected to endorse Harris for president.
Presidential historian and former journalist Jon Meacham, who has helped write key speeches for Biden in the White House, said in an interview on MSNBC on Sunday that Biden's withdrawal is a “singular moment in the history of the American presidency” for a man who “has given the lion’s share of his life to the service of the republic.”
“It tells us a lot about what he truly values — President Biden has decided that this campaign is not about him but about us,” he said. “It’s not about personal ambition, it’s about the durability and viability of the constitutional order that so many of us believe could be in danger as events unfold.”
Trump, for his part, wrote in a post on Truth Social that “Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve — And never was!”
Trump claimed that Biden “attained” the job as president “by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement.” He went to say, “We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called on Biden to resign as president, a message shared by other Republican lawmakers on Sunday.
“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President,” Johnson said. “He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who served in the Senate with Biden and worked with him to reach compromises in negotiations on a variety of pieces of legislation, said in a statement that the country is "less prosperous and less secure than it was in January, 2021."
"We cannot afford four more years of failure," said McConnell, who criticized Democrats for pushing Biden out of the race by saying they have been "trying to upend the expressed will of the American people in primary elections across the country."
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