President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the Roosevelt Room of the White House

In announcing Sunday that he is abandoning his candidacy for reelection, President Biden admirably put his party and the country above his personal interests. That he was responding to an increasing chorus from within the party doesn’t make his decision any less statesmanlike.

His willingness to step aside, and the respectful calls for him to do so from other Democrats, amount to a striking contrast to the Republican Party, which has a cult-like focus on the supposed indispensability of Donald Trump.

The president’s decision coming so late in the election cycle undoubtedly will lead to some consternation and confusion, not to mention a sense of betrayal among some of his most ardent supporters. But, as Biden rightly recognized, the prospect of returning Trump to the Oval Office he disgraced justified this historic and self-sacrificing decision. This is what true patriotism looks like.

Trump’s abiding unfitness for the office was underscored by his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, which after an appeal for a healing of the “discord and division in our society,” degenerated into a familiar litany of absurd and offensive claims, including the false and self-serving suggestion that the 2020 election was fraudulent. (“They used COVID to cheat,” Trump said.)

Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor may diminish some of the uncertainty created by his decision, with attention shifting to whom Harris might select as a running mate if she wins the nomination. If Harris is the nominee, she will need to cut through the noise and GOP talking points to highlight the strong record of the Biden administration while articulating what she would bring to the presidency.

Some critics may argue that Biden should have not only dropped his candidacy but also resigned from office. But that’s a fallacious argument. That the 81-year-old president isn’t up to the rigors of a campaign — and might drag down other Democratic candidates — doesn’t mean that he is unable to complete his term.

In his letter addressed to “My fellow Americans,” Biden appropriately trumpeted the achievements of his administration, including the most significant climate change legislation in history and unprecedented investments in transportation, renewable energy and infrastructure. Biden wasn't just the guy who saved the nation from a second Trump term.

It is to his everlasting credit that he recognized that by remaining the nominee he might be putting those accomplishments in jeopardy, as well as the future for this country in which government decisions and policies are founded on truth.

And now, with this courageous act, Biden has delivered on his 2020 promise to be a bridge to a younger generation of Democratic leaders. It will be up to them to reinvigorate a party that has been demoralized by the fears about Biden's fitness and to reengage voters who had been turned off by the discord and lack of focus.

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Biden endorses Harris as Democratic nominee after ending his candidacy

President Biden on Sunday endorsed Vice President Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee as he announced he would not seek reelection.

“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he posted on the social platform X. “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.”

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he added.

Biden did not initially endorse Harris in a letter he posted announcing he was ending his 2024 candidacy, spurring instant speculation about what it meant for the future of the party. But his decision to back his vice president gives Harris a clear edge to replace Biden atop the ticket in November.

Harris has several clear advantages: She was on the ticket that won in 2020 and the one that received millions of votes in primaries this year; she has been campaigning for months in swing states; she has been the face of the campaign’s push around abortion access; and she is the only other candidate who could access the war financial chest the Biden-Harris campaign has amassed.

Several lawmakers had publicly said they would support Harris as the nominee if Biden were to step aside. And there would likely be political backlash if the party skipped over the first woman and first woman of color elected vice president in favor of another candidate.

It’s unclear if anyone will challenge Harris for the nomination, or if Democrats will push for an open convention or a rapid primary where candidates can make their case to the public before the Democratic National Convention begins Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Harris is not without her flaws. Her 2020 presidential campaign flopped after significant hype, beset by internal problems and an inability to develop a winning message. Harris dropped out before the Iowa caucuses in 2020.

Republicans have already previewed a line of attack they will use against Harris, labeling her the “border czar” over her work on addressing root causes of migration from Central America. And they will aggressively tie her to issues like inflation that have hamstrung the Biden administration for months.

There has been a smattering of polls available showing whether Harris would fare better than Biden in a head-to-head match-up against Trump, but with mixed results.

An NBC News survey published Sunday found Trump ahead of Biden by 2 percentage points, 45 percent support to 43 percent, and ahead of Harris by 2 points, 47-45 percent. A New York Times/Siena College poll found Harris running slightly better than Biden in Pennsylvania and Virginia, both states Democrats need to win.

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