Vice Presidential candidate and Ohio Senator, JD Vance, speaks to supporters at the Van Andes Arena in Grand Rapids, MI on July 20, 2024. — Alex Wroblewski/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(MIDDLETOWN, Ohio) — Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance is making a trip home for his first solo campaign rally on the GOP presidential ticket.
Vance will hold a solo rally on Monday afternoon in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio.
Vance’s rally comes one week after he was announced as former President Donald Trump’s running mate for the 2024 presidential election.
The Ohio senator made his first official appearance at a campaign rally on Saturday in Grand Rapids, Michigan, alongside Trump.
Walking out to an enthusiastic crowd, Vance wasted no time in attacking his political opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, before going on to talk about his background, growing up in Ohio and his family struggles.
The Trump-Vance campaign has made it clear that they see the Ohio senator as crucial in their strategy to win the battleground states in the Midwest: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Vance has emphasized his background growing up in the Midwest and the Rust Belt with the hope of connecting with voters in these critical states.
Vance recalled his conversation with the former president when he offered him the opportunity to be his vice president, saying that Trump told him, “You can help me in some of these Midwestern states, like Pennsylvania, Michigan and so forth.”
During his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last week, Vance emphasized his background growing up in Middletown and living in the Rust Belt.
“I promise you one more thing, to the people of Middletown, Ohio, and all the forgotten communities in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio and every corner of our nation: I will be a vice president who never forgets where he came from,” Vance said Wednesday night.
Vance will now take center stage on Monday in the hometown that has played a crucial role in his upbringing and was the catalyst for much of what has happened to him, including being the backdrop of his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” in which he shared his story of growing up in poverty in America’s Rust Belt and being surrounded by violence and addiction.
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, efforts to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization are ongoing, and Israeli forces have launched an assault in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
49 minutes ago 2 hostages ‘no longer alive,’ IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces on Monday said two hostages, Alex Dancyg and Yagev Buchshtab, who were taken by Hamas militants, were “no longer alive.”
Their bodies “were being held by the Hamas terror organization,” IDF said in a statement. They were determined to be dead based on intelligence gathered by Israel’s Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the Ministry of Religious Services and the Israel Police, the IDF said.
“The circumstances of their death in Hamas captivity are being examined by all the professional authorities,” IDF said.
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
12:11 PM EDT Poliovirus detected in wastewater across Gaza: WHO
Poliovirus has been detected in wastewater in multiple locations of the Gaza Strip, including two major cities in the region, the World Health Organization (WHO), Gaza health and Israeli officials confirmed on Sunday.
Among the locations where the poliovirus has been found in wastewater are Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis in southern Gaza, two major cities where the majority of people in the war-torn region currently reside, the officials said.
WHO officials said that while they have received no reports of people contracting polio symptoms in Gaza, an investigation is underway to identify how the virus has spread. WHO said it is working with UNICEF and the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to investigate and establish “prompt vaccination campaigns.”
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age, according to WHO’s website. Since 1988, poliovirus cases worldwide have decreased by 99%, according to WHO.
The Israel Defense Forces announced Sunday that it will vaccinate all soldiers operating in Gaza to prevent the spread of poliovirus.
The IDF also said is is working with international organizations to provide polio vaccines for people in Gaza.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of WHO, sounded the alarm in a statement on Friday, saying, “The decimation of the health system, lack of security, access obstruction, constant population displacement, shortages of medical supplies, poor quality of water and weakened sanitation are increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio.”
Ghebreyesus added, “This poses a risk for children and creates the perfect environment for diseases like polio to spread.”
-ABC News’ Victoria Beaulé
11:52 AM EDT Netanyahu to meet with Biden on Tuesday in Washington
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Joe Biden in Washington on Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Sunday.
The meeting between the two leaders is scheduled to occur at noon on Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office said.
Netanyahu’s flight to Washington is scheduled to leave Israel on Monday morning, the prime minister’s office said.
The meeting between Biden and Netanyahu will come ahead of the Israeli prime minister’s July 24 address to a joint session of Congress.
The two governments had tentatively scheduled a meeting between Biden, who is recovering from COVID, and Netanyahu on Monday.
However, a Biden administration official on Sunday disputed that a date and time have been set for the meeting with Netanyahu, and that an exact date and time are still dependent on when the president tests negative for COVID and returns to Washington, D.C. Biden has been self-isolating in Rehoboth, Delaware.
-ABC News’ Victoria Beaulé and Justin Ryan Gomez
Jul 20, 2024, 2:05 PM EDT Houthis say ‘multiple’ dead, injured in Israeli airstrike on Yemen
Multiple people were killed and others have been injured in an Israeli strike on oil storage facilities in the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, according to the Houthis who said the attack will “only increase the resolve […] of the Yemeni people.”
The Houthis accused Israel of an attack that “targeted civilian facilities, oil tanks and the electricity station in Hodeidah, with the aim of doubling people’s suffering and pressuring Yemen to stop supporting Gaza.”
Israel said its attack came in response to over 200 projectiles that the Houthis have launched toward Israel, saying they targeted the port as as the main supply route for weapons transfers with Iran.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor swears in Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during the Presidential Inauguration, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington. (Gabrielle Lurie/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday came after heavy pressure from congressional Democrats, including Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and more than 30 House lawmakers.
Biden, 81, had resisted calls to step aside that grew almost daily following his poor performance in his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump and persistent questions about his age and mental fitness. His decision comes just a few months before the Nov. 5 election.
Biden backed his vice president, Kamala Harris for the top of the ticket — triggering many others in the party to issue statements backing Harris.
Here’s how the news is developing:
1 hour and 37 minutes ago Harris raises about $50 million after Biden endorsement, campaign says
In the hours since President Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday afternoon, she has collected $49.6 million in grassroots donations, the campaign said.
-ABC News’ Rick Klein
3 hours and 30 minutes ago Win With Black Women raises $1.5 million for Harris
More than 45,000 people gathered late Sunday on a Zoom call organized by Win With Black Women to support Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
The group said it raised over $1,500,000 in about 100 minutes.
The call was led by the group’s founder, Jotaka Eaddy, and included lawyer Star Jones, Rep. Joyce Beatty and Shavon Arline-Bradley, the president and chief executive of National Council of Negro Women. Guests such as actor Jenifer Lewis and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority President Danette Anthony Reed chimed in with words of encouragement and wisdom.
Even after 1 a.m. on Monday, people continued trying to join the call, and donations kept pouring in. Zoom lifted the capacity limit to allow more people to join the call.
“Don’t you ever lose faith in Black women,” said Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, a former president of Spelman College.
-ABC News’ Katrina J. Davis
1:55 AM EDT Harris called over 100 party leaders after endorsement
Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday morning had multiple phone conversations with President Joe Biden before he announced that he would not be seeking reelection and would instead endorse her, according to a source familiar with her schedule.
Surrounded by family and staff at the vice president’s residence, Harris spent more than 10 hours placing calls to over 100 party leaders, members of Congress, governors, labor leaders and leaders of advocacy and civil rights organizations. On each of those calls, Harris made clear that she was extremely grateful for the president’s endorsement but plans to work hard to earn the Democratic nomination in her own right, the source said.
One of the calls was to her pastor, Amos Brown III, who, along with his wife, prayed over her, according to the source.
The vice president wore a hooded Howard University sweatshirt, workout sweats and sneakers throughout the day. Amid the many calls, she took time to arrange both lunch and dinner for the assembled aides. The menu was salad and sandwiches for lunch and pizza and salad for dinner. Harris’ pizza came with anchovies, her go-to topping, the source said.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie
12:32 AM EDT DNC rules committee to meet Wednesday
The Democratic National Committee’s next rules committee meeting will be at 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 24, a source told ABC News. The meeting will be public and available on the DNC’s YouTube page.
The co-chairs announced Sunday that following the President’s decision, it is now the committee’s responsibility to implement a framework to select a new nominee, which will be open, transparent, fair and orderly.
The co-chairs announced that the process presented for consideration will be comprehensive and expeditious.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim
12:32 AM EDT DNC rules committee to meet Wednesday
The Democratic National Committee’s next rules committee meeting will be at 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 24, a source told ABC News. The meeting will be public and available on the DNC’s YouTube page.
The co-chairs announced Sunday that following the President’s decision, it is now the committee’s responsibility to implement a framework to select a new nominee, which will be open, transparent, fair and orderly.
The co-chairs announced that the process presented for consideration will be comprehensive and expeditious.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim
11:31 PM EDT DNC leaders tell members to expect ‘next steps’ regarding nomination in ‘coming days’
Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison and Minyon Moore, the DNC convention chair, just sent members a note, obtained by ABC News, saying guidance on the formal nomination process following President Joe Biden’s exit from the race will arrive “in the coming days.”
“While this situation is unprecedented, the DNC is ready to undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party and select a nominee,” they said in their message. “This process will be governed by rules and procedures of our Party, and we know that all of you are ready to take your responsibility seriously to swiftly nominate a candidate who will defeat Donald Trump in November. In the coming days, you will hear more from us on the next steps to formally select our nominee. As we move forward, our values as Democrats will remain the same – protecting our basic freedoms, fighting for working families, and saving our democracy from the threat of dictatorship.”
The pair said the DNC will “honor” Biden’s “legacy with a firm commitment to nominating and electing a Democratic president this November” who will continue the strides he has made as president.
As of Friday, Democrats planned to continue their virtual nomination process to ensure that Biden and Harris were on the ballot in all 50 states. That was, of course, before Biden made his announcement on Sunday afternoon.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd
11:13 PM EDT UAW calls Harris an ‘ally’; will decide ‘next steps’ in ‘coming days’
The United Auto Workers Union has reacted to the news that President Joe Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
While calling Harris an “ally,” the UAW spokesperson stopped short of offering an endorsement, noting its board will meet soon.
In a statement to ABC News, a UAW spokesperson said, “Our UAW International Executive Board, elected by the membership of the UAW, will meet in the coming days to decide our next steps. Vice President Harris has been an ally and a champion for the UAW and the whole working class, and we’re excited to defeat Donald Trump and the billionaire class at the ballot box this November.”
The UAW had endorsed Biden for president earlier this year.
-ABC News’ Briana K. Stewart
10:22 PM EDT Democrats say they’ve raised $46.7M: ‘Biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle’
Barely two hours after announcing it had raised $27.5 million following President Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race and endorsement of Kamala Harris for president, ActBlue says it has now processed $46.7 million in donations.
“UPDATE: As of 9pm ET, grassroots supporters have raised $46.7 million through ActBlue following Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign launch,” the small-dollar donor fundraising platform said in a statement. “This has been the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle. Small-dollar donors are fired up and ready to take on this election.”
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim
9:46 PM EDT Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff praises Biden as a ‘true patriot’
Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, commented for the first time Sunday night since President Joe Biden announced his decision to drop out of the 2024 race.
“President Biden is a true patriot who leads our nation with honesty, decency, and integrity,” Emhoff wrote in a post on X.
Praising Biden’s work with Harris, Emhoff said, “They have fought tirelessly for families and communities, delivering for Americans across our nation.”
“I am so proud of their accomplishments and thankful for their leadership,” he added.
9:06 PM EDT Would Trump debate Kamala Harris? RNC chairperson weighs in
After President Joe Biden ended his bid for reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris Sunday, many have begun to wonder how the remainder of the 2024 race will unfold — including the upcoming presidential debate in September, hosted by ABC News.
Michael Whatley, Republican National Committee chairperson, told ABC News’ David Muir that the former president has said “he would accept a debate anywhere, anytime, anyplace.”
Now that Biden is out of the race, Chairperson of the RNC Michael Whatley says they still welcome a second debate with “Kamala Harris or anybody else.”
Whatley said Trump would have to make the official confirmation of the debate, however, he said, “We’ve made it very clear that we welcome that debate.”
“We want to talk about the contrast between the Biden-Harris agenda and Donald Trump’s agenda where he is going to unite America and lead us into a bolder future,” Whatley said.
9:06 PM EDT Former Gov. Chris Christie says Harris candidacy ‘absolutely changes the race’
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told ABC News’ David Muir Sunday night that Kamala Harris’ entry into the presidential race will have a big impact.
“Look, this absolutely changes the race, David. I think anybody who says this doesn’t change the race doesn’t understand politics,” Christie said. “But here’s the big question, ‘How does it change the race?’ And none of us know that [answer] yet. And the reason we don’t is because that’s going to depend almost exclusively on the performance of these two candidates now.”
Christie, who ran for the 2024 GOP nomination for president but dropped out during the primaries, said running for president is different than campaigning for vice president.
“[S]he’s going to be under a different level of scrutiny, a different level of pressure, and there’s a different expectation level for her than there has been before,” Christie said. “So how does she perform, and how does Donald Trump change his approach? He’s now not running against 81-year-old Joe Biden. He’s running against a much younger woman. And that’s going to change the dynamic, too.”
Christie said Trump will need to change his tone with Harris coming to the fore.
“Look, when I ran the first time for governor, David, I ran against an incumbent, democratic male. When I ran for reelection, I ran against a woman. And the pace of that race and the way you conduct yourself as a male candidate [against] the female candidate has to have a bit of a different tone to it,” Christie said. “The question for me is going to be, ‘Can Donald Trump adjust to that, and how will he react to this new dynamic? So, we’re to see some very interesting developments over the course of the next number of weeks.”
-ABC News’ Jolie Lash
8:42 PM EDT Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorses Kamala Harris in 2024 presidential race
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., released a video testimonial on X Sunday explaining why she’s backing Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee.
“She is ready to step up, bring our party together, go toe to toe with Donald Trump and win in November,” Warren said in the video, in which she speaks directly to the camera.
“Kamala has been a ferocious warrior on the issue of abortion and under Kamala’s leadership we are going to get Roe V. Wade back into the law of the land,” Warren said.
“When you’re up against a convicted felon who better than a former prosecutor to take it straight to Donald Trump,” she continued. “I’m here for Kamala because Kamala has been here for the American people year after year after year.”
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
8:34 PM EDT Major Biden donor says he won’t fundraise for Harris if she’s nominee
In an interview with ABC News on Sunday night, major Biden donor and supporter John Morgan said that if Vice President Kamala Harris is the nominee, he won’t fundraise for the Democratic ticket.
“It’s one thing to vote for somebody; it’s another thing to raise millions of dollars for somebody; you have to really be in,” Morgan, a high-profile Florida lawyer, told ABC News.
Morgan, who says he’s a “Biden/Manchin type Dem,” told ABC News he was all in on Biden but felt Harris would be too far left and lose in November.
“If Trump World could pick anybody to run against, I think they pick her,” he said.
Morgan told ABC News he had already informed the Biden National Finance Committee that he was resigning from his fundraising efforts after Biden endorsed Harris.
“If she’s a nominee, Mar a Lago has a real big party that night,” he added.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
8:37 PM EDT Pro-Trump super PAC spent $30 million on ads attacking Biden
Pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again spent $30 million on ads attacking President Joe Biden this election cycle, Federal Election Commission records show.
The super PAC has also spent $18 million supporting former President Donald Trump.
It’s unclear how much the Trump campaign, which is a separate entity from the super PAC, spent on ads specifically attacking Biden, as the campaign doesn’t disclose that information.
The Trump campaign has sparingly placed television ads since the primary season.
-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Lalee Ibassa and Kelsey Walsh
8:27 PM EDT Democratic strategist Brazile says Manchin reached out to ‘inquire’ after Biden dropped out of race
Former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile told ABC News’ David Muir on Sunday night that Joe Manchin, the independent senator from West Virginia, had reached out to “inquire about the news” of President Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race.
Two sources told ABC News earlier Sunday that Manchin was considering reregistering as a Democrat to run against Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential nomination.
In the interview, Brazile also said the DNC is committed to the virtual roll call that would wrap up by Aug. 7 — more than a week before the convention starts.
-ABC News’ Rick Klein
8:13 PM EDT Biden, family feeling ‘sense of relief,’ source says
In conversations with people in and close to the Biden family on Sunday night, one word keeps reemerging: relief.
“For the people who love Joe, who are closest to Joe … there is a sense of relief,” a person close to the family told ABC News.
The news cycle of the past few weeks has clearly taken a toll on those in the president’s orbit. Watching allies turn on him and the news media scrutinize his every move has been a “painful” experience for Biden, sources said.
Before making his announcement on Sunday morning, the president told his brother, James Biden, and sister, Valerie Biden Owens, that he planned to step out of the race and endorse Kamala Harris, another source said.
Biden’s two siblings — who have been by his side since his first campaign more than 50 years ago — did not try to persuade him to stick it out, the source added.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman
10:18 PM EDT Democrats raise $27.5 million following Biden exit, Harris endorsement
ActBlue, the small-dollar donor fundraising platform the Biden-Harris campaign uses, said it has raised more than $27.5 million in the first five hours since President Joe Biden dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim
7:51 PM EDT Harris already working the phones on presidential campaign: Source
Vice President Kamala Harris has already hit the ground running on her presidential campaign, working the phones to shore up support and fundraising off the announcement, a source told ABC News.
The source says there are currently no changes to her expected travel plans for the coming week, which were determined prior to President Joe Biden dropping out of the race.
She’s expected to travel to Milwaukee on Tuesday, July 23, to deliver remarks at a political event.
On Wednesday, she’s expected to travel to Indianapolis, Indiana, to deliver remarks at the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.’s Grand Boulé.
-ABC News’ Selina Wang
7:45 PM EDT California Gov. Gavin Newsom has thrown his support behind Harris
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris for Democratic nominee for president.
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious,” Newsom wrote in a post on X about the former California senator and attorney general.
“With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, @KamalaHarris,” he added.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
7:39 PM EDT Harris spoke with Gov. Shapiro, House Minority Leader Jeffries
Harris on Sunday spoke with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, whose name has come up as a possible vice-presidential pick, a person familiar with the conversation confirmed to ABC News.
The source noted that Harris also spoke with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
7:29 PM EDT Sen. Manchin considering reregistering as Democrat, running against Harris: Sources
Independent Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is considering reregistering as a Democrat to run against Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential nomination, two sources with knowledge of his decision told ABC News.
The development comes hours after Manchin said he would not run if Biden dropped out of the race.
“No, I want to support a new generation,” Manchin told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” Sunday.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott
7:19 PM EDT Attorney General Garland, Sec. of State Blinken react to Biden’s announcement
Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed President Joe Biden’s decision not seek reelection, with both men sharing their respect for their commander in chief.
“From the beginning of his tenure, President Biden has made clear in both word and deed that he stands for the rule of law and for the Justice Department’s critical mission to protect the safety and the civil rights of everyone in our country,” Garland said in his statement. “I am grateful for his leadership and for the enormous respect he has shown for the 115,000 public servants of the Justice Department over the past three and a half years. As President Biden has noted, there is critical governing work to be done in the months ahead, and the Justice Department will continue to work tirelessly to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights on behalf of the American people.”
Blinken called his time with Biden “the honor” of his life.
“It has been — and remains —the honor of my life to work for @POTUS for the past twenty-two years. He has restored U.S. leadership around the world and delivered historic accomplishments as President. I look forward to building on that record with him over the next six months,” Blinken said in a post on X.
7:19 PM EDT DNC raising money off of Biden’s decision
In a message sent after President Joe Biden announced he would leave the presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, the DNC asked supporters for small-dollar donations.
“In the coming days, the Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party to defeat Donald Trump in November,” they wrote.
6:54 PM EDT First Lady Jill Biden supported Joe in ‘whichever road he chose’
As President Joe Biden made the decision to step aside from his bid for reelection, he had the support of his wife, Jill.
The first lady’s communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, said Jill was “supportive of whatever road he chose” in the 2024 election.
“Down to the last hours of the decision only he could make, she was supportive of whatever road he chose,” Alexander said of Jill.
“She’s his biggest believer, champion, and always on his side, in that trusted way only a spouse of almost 50 years can be,” Alexander said.
7:35 PM EDT Major AAPI, Black, Latino political groups endorse Kamala Harris for president
Several major political action committees representing AAPI, Black and Latino voters have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
The AAPI Victory Fund, The Collective PAC and Latino Victory Fund all announced the endorsement on Sunday.
“We will fight with all of our might to make her the first South Asian and Black woman ever to serve as President of the United States,” spokespeople for the AAPI Victory Fund said in a statement.
6:28 PM EDT RFK Jr. blasts Harris as a ‘war hawk’
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blasted Harris in a press conference on Sunday, criticizing her on everything from foreign policy to civil rights and her work as district attorney in California.
“I think, you know, Kamala Harris is the party of war. She is a war hawk — you know, the Democratic Party was always the peace party. Kamala Harris is a war hawk on Ukraine. She’s a war hawk on China,” he said.
Kennedy also accused Harris of having “one of the worst civil rights record of any public official,” calling her complicit in the “school-to-prison pipeline.”
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie
6:02 PM EDT What pushed Biden to drop out of 2024 race?
President Joe Biden had been facing growing pressure from his own party to step aside from the 2024 race, despite his repeated assurances that he plans to stay in the race.
Pressure had mounted after his disastrous June debate with former President Donald Trump which left many within the Democratic Party questioning if he could win his reelection campaign. Before he made his announcement, at least 40 congressional lawmakers had publicly called on Biden to step aside.
Biden’s decision Sunday — which came as he recovers from COVID-19 — took members of his staff by surprise, despite his repeated assurances doing little to decrease public pressure for him to step down.
5:59 PM EDT Biden spoke with Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer: Sources
President Joe Biden had conversations with the two top congressional Democrats Sunday as he ended his 2024 presidential campaign, sources told ABC News.
Biden spoke with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, sources said.
5:56 PM EDT ‘It is an honor to serve under Biden,’ Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas says
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas weighed in on Biden’s decision to end his bid for reelection Sunday.
“Today and everyday, it is an honor to serve under POTUS Biden’s leadership,” Mayorkas said in a statement on X.
Mayorkas said he’s “extraordinarily proud” of the work the Department of Homeland Security has done to “secure our shores, skies, borders, and cyberspace; safeguard the American people from threats old and new; and advance our vital homeland security mission under the President’s leadership.”
Looking to the future of Biden’s tenure as president, Mayorkas said, “We will continue to use every minute of this administration to deliver for the American people.”
5:52 PM EDT Anti-abortion rights groups bash Harris calling her ‘radically pro-abortion’
After Harris announced her intention to join the 2024 race for president, anti-abortion rights groups released a statement criticizing Harris’ support of abortion rights. National Right to Life, a major anti-abortion group, released a statement criticizing Harris, calling her “radically pro-abortion” after Harris announced she will be running for president.
“Kamala Harris is radically pro-abortion and sees the lives of precious unborn babies as expendable … She has toured the country pushing unlimited abortion and criticizing protective state laws that support women and their preborn children,” National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said in a statement.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which opposes access to abortion care, also accused her of refusing to support limits on access to abortion care.
“While Joe Biden has trouble saying the word abortion, Kamala Harris shouts it. In contrast, President Trump, JD Vance, and the GOP reject the Democrat attempt to impose abortion on-demand across all 50 states and support the right of states to place limits on abortion,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser wrote in a statement.
5:49 PM EDT Maryland Gov. Wes Moore thanks Biden for being ‘an exemplar of true leadership’
In a statement Sunday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore praised Biden and thanked him for his decades of service.
“President Biden has dedicated his life and career to serving the American people,” Moore wrote. “His legacy of hard work, dedication, optimism, and strength have shaped the trajectory of our nation — and made us better as a people and as a country.”
“This is a man deeply in love with his family, his country, and the promise of America,” he wrote. “As a governor, I look to him as an exemplar of true leadership. As an American, I look to him as an embodiment of our shared values of freedom, decency, and patriotism.”
5:30 PM EDT DNC changes its joint fundraising committees to Harris
The Democratic National Committee has filed an amendment to revise its joint fundraising committees, now named Harris Victory Fund and Harris Action Fund.
These committees, previously named Biden Victory Fund and Biden Action Fund, simply went through name changes and inherited the previous Biden-DNC joint fundraising committees’ cash on hand.
Harris Victory Fund had $40 million in cash on hand entering July and Harris Action Fund had $23 million in cash on hand.
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim
5:27 PM EDT Harris makes calls after announcing she will seek the nomination
Over the last few hours since announcing she would seek the nomination for president, Vice President Kamala Harris has been making calls, a source told ABC News.
Harris has spoken with a range of Democratic officials, including congressional Democrats, governors, party officials and civil rights leaders, the source said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
5:11 PM EDT Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell says it’s a ‘sad day’ after Biden’s exit
One of President Biden’s closest allies, Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, mourned the end of Biden’s presidential campaign while endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday.
“I did endorse Kamala this afternoon because I believe Joe Biden has been a great President,” Dingell said during an interview on MSNBC.
“I think it is a sad day and the way much of this has played out with the knives that have been put in his back,” she said of Biden.
“If he is supporting Kamala Harris, that means that he thinks that she can do a good job and that is who I am supporting,” Dingell continued, adding, “This party needs to unify.”
5:07 PM EDT Shock, heartbreak and relief among White House staffers
Upon learning President Joe Biden would end his race for a second term, White House staff members told ABC News how they’re feeling about the historic decision.
Staffers said emotions have been running high, and that — blindsided by the announcement — some had cried. One said he had been on his bike and nearly fell off when he heard the news.
Some said they felt shocked or heartbroken, but many expressed their relief.
“He made the right choice; acted in the best interest of the country,” one White House staff member said.
Others said they felt immense pride. “I will always be proud that I worked for him, and I think history will show him to be one of the greats,” one staffer said.
“Any Democratic president in the past 50-70 years would kill for some of the big wins Joe Biden has [gotten] across the finish line,” another said. “He is a good man and fierce defender of democracy.”
-ABC News’ MaryAlice Parks
4:59 PM EDT Biden for President campaign files to change to Harris for President
The Biden for President campaign committee has just been changed to the Harris for President campaign committee, according to a new FEC filing.
Now Kamala Harris’ principal campaign committee, this campaign committee had nearly $96 million in cash on hand — and likely more scheduled to be transferred from its joint fundraising committees with the DNC.
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim
4:56 PM EDT Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says Biden should be ‘commended’ for exit from race
Larry Hogan, the former Maryland governor who is running for U.S. Senate, released a statement on X Sunday after President Biden ended his bid for reelection.
“I believe he made the right decision for his family and the country,” Hogan, a Republican, said of Biden, adding, “These are dangerous and unprecedented times. He should be commended for putting the country ahead of personal ambition.”
“The only way out of this cycle of chaos, divisiveness and dysfunction is to elect principled, common sense and experienced leaders who will focus on the day-to-day challenges facing Americans,” Hogan continued.
“We need less palace intrigue, less partisan nonsense, and more decisive action to solve the serious problems facing our nation,” Hogan said.
4:52 PM EDT Trump donated $6,000 to Kamala Harris’s 2014 AG campaign
Then-businessman Donald Trump donated $6,000 to Kamala Harris’ 2014 California Attorney General reelection campaign, state campaign finance records show.
Trump initially donated $5,000 to Harris’s campaign in 2011, and donated another $1,000 to her campaign in 2013.
Ivanka Trump also donated $2,000 to Harris’s campaign in 2013.
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says Biden should be ‘commended’ for exit from race
Larry Hogan, the former Maryland governor who is running for U.S. Senate, released a statement on X Sunday after President Biden ended his bid for reelection.
“I believe he made the right decision for his family and the country,” Hogan, a Republican, said of Biden, adding, “These are dangerous and unprecedented times. He should be commended for putting the country ahead of personal ambition.”
“The only way out of this cycle of chaos, divisiveness and dysfunction is to elect principled, common sense and experienced leaders who will focus on the day-to-day challenges facing Americans,” Hogan continued.
“We need less palace intrigue, less partisan nonsense, and more decisive action to solve the serious problems facing our nation,” Hogan said.
Trump donated $6,000 to Kamala Harris’s 2014 AG campaign
Then-businessman Donald Trump donated $6,000 to Kamala Harris’ 2014 California Attorney General reelection campaign, state campaign finance records show.
Trump initially donated $5,000 to Harris’s campaign in 2011, and donated another $1,000 to her campaign in 2013.
Ivanka Trump also donated $2,000 to Harris’s campaign in 2013.
Ad by pro-Trump PAC attacking Harris made days before Biden announcement
The attack ad put out on Sunday by a pro-Donald Trump PAC attacking Vice President Kamala Harris was made “days” before President Joe Biden announced his decision to drop out of the race, two sources familiar told ABC News.
One source describing the move as “just in case,” emphasizing how they had been preparing for this.
One source with the PAC told ABC News that they are viewing the switch from Biden to Harris as a “simple pivot” because Harris “owns all of Joe Biden’s failures.”
The plan is to frame Harris as a “co-conspirator” in Biden’s agenda — specifically on immigration, as the team has been reporting, the source said.
Vance says he and Trump ‘are ready to save America,’ tells Dems to ‘bring it on’
Former President Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance reacted to President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, calling him “the worst president in my lifetime” and saying they are ready to take on Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way. Over the last four years she co-signed Biden’s open border and green scam policies that drove up the cost of housing and groceries. She owns all of these failures, and she lied for nearly four years about Biden’s mental capacity–saddling the nation with a president who can’t do the job,” Vance said in a statement on X.
“President Trump and I are ready to save America, whoever’s at the top of the Democrat ticket. Bring it on,” Vance said.
Kamala Harris begins fundraising for 2024 presidential campaign
After announcing her 2024 presidential campaign, Kamala Harris has put out a public call for fundraising.
“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda. If you’re with me, add a donation right now,” Harris wrote on X Sunday.
The statement includes a photo with President Joe Biden, who endorsed Harris immediately following his exit from the race.
Christie says it is unlikely Democrats would challenge Harris
There are practical concerns that could dissuade other Democrats from challenging Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, an ABC News contributor, told ABC News Live on Sunday.
“There are such practical concerns for the people who might be thinking about challenging the vice president. None of them have national campaigns organized, none of them have one state director in any one of the 50 states, none of them have a national fundraising operation,” Christie said.
“I think she’ll be able to inherit the money that is in the Biden-Harris campaign right now,” Christie said.
Christie added that anyone considering running will wonder if they will be able to beat a candidate who is a sitting vice president who has been endorsed by the sitting president.
“Most of the people who would be serious candidates, I think, quite frankly, they are going to look at this and say ‘I hope she picks me for No. 2’ and move on from there,” Christie said.
“I don’t think there is going to be any challenge to Kamala Harris,” Christie said.
Major Democratic donors endorse Vice President Kamala Harris
On the heels of President Biden’s departure from the 2024 presidential race Sunday, two major Democratic donors — Reid Hoffman and Alexander Soros — publicly endorsed Kamala Harris as the next candidate.
“The Democrats are the party of policy, progress, and action. When presented with the choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, I believe in the American people to make the right decision for our country,” Hoffman wrote in a statement on X.
Hoffman cofounded professional networking site LinkedIn in 2003 and is a partner at venture capital firm Greylock Partners.
“The Biden-Harris administration has put this country on the right track. It’s time for us to unite. I wholeheartedly support Kamala Harris and her candidacy for President of the United States in our fight for democracy in November,” he continued.
Soros, one of five sons of billionaire George Soros, took to X to share a photo of himself with Harris, writing: “It’s time for us all to unite around Kamala Harris and beat Donald Trump. She is the best and most qualified candidate we have. Long live the American Dream! #Harris2024.”
DNC members circulate letter endorsing Harris
Sixty-three signatories had joined onto the letter, which was obtained by ABC News, as of early Sunday evening, but more signatures could be added.
“We are deeply grateful to President Biden and his family for their decades of service to our nation, including the decision he made today to pass the torch of the Democratic nomination and American democracy itself to a new generation of public servants. We strongly and enthusiastically endorse Vice President Kamala Harris — the candidate with the best experience and capacity to unite our Party and the United States — for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. We ask that you join us,” they wrote.
Firefighters union on Biden’s exit: ‘Will forever be in his debt’
The International Association of Fire Fighters, which was the first union to back Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, released a statement on his decision to exit the 2024 race.
“Past, present, and future fire fighters are better off because of Joe Biden,” IAFF general president Edward A. Kelly said Sunday.
“For nearly 50 years, he has been a champion of the IAFF. His work has directly led to the hiring of tens of thousands of fire fighters, safety improvements in this most dangerous of jobs, and a nation that is now aware of the toxic threats we face every time we put on our gear,” Kelly said.
“And, when a fire fighter makes the ultimate sacrifice, President Biden’s work has ensured their families receive the benefits they deserve,” Kelly continued.
Kelly called Biden the “greatest President fire fighters and emergency medical workers have ever had.”
“Our membership – and the communities we serve – will forever be in his debt,” Kelly said.
Al Gore calls Biden an ‘exceptional leader,’ praises climate change action
Former Vice President Al Gore joined the chorus of Democratic leaders weighing in on President Biden’s decision to leave the 2024 presidential race on Sunday.
Praising Biden’s significant action toward climate change solutions, Gore said in a statement on X, “As President, Joe Biden has been — and is — an exceptional leader. He is responsible for developing and signing the most significant investment in climate solutions into law.”
“I know that he is not done delivering for the American people and will continue to serve this nation with wisdom and dignity in the coming months,” Gore continued, adding, “In paving the way for a new generation of leadership, President Biden’s decision is a fitting testament to his profoundly consequential career.”
“I applaud his selfless decision,” Gore wrote.
Harris thanks Biden for leadership, putting country first
In a statement announcing her candidacy for president, Vice President Kamala Harris thanked President Joe Biden for his “extraordinary leadership.”
“I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many Presidents who have served two terms in office,” Harris said.
“With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else,” Harris said.
Biden endorsed Harris after announcing his exit on Sunday, saying choosing her as his running mate in 2020 was the “best decision I’ve ever made.”
“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” Harris said.
Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney calls Biden’s decision ‘courageous’
In a post on X, former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney — a Republican and frequent critic of former President Donald Trump — praised Biden’s decision to leave the race as “courageous.”
“The framers of our Constitution knew that our republic would endure only if our presidents have the character and honor to put duty ahead of self interest,” Cheney wrote. “President Biden deserves our gratitude for his decades of service to our nation and for his courageous decision today.”
Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen weighs in on Biden’s exit from 2024 race
Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, from the key battleground state of Nevada, shared a statement on President Biden departing from the 2024 election on Sunday.
“President Biden has served our country in public office with dignity and integrity for decades,” Rosen said, adding, “I thank President Biden for his leadership and respect his decision not to seek reelection.”
“There is still a lot more work to do on behalf of Nevadans to lower costs, create more opportunity, and defend our fundamental freedoms,” Rosen said.
Rosen noticeably did not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in her statement Sunday.
Vice President Kamala Harris says she intends to seek nomination for president
Vice President Kamala Harris has announced she intends to run for president in 2024, hours after President Joe Biden said he will be dropping out of the race.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said in a statement Sunday.
“We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win,” Harris said.
Planned Parenthood, pro-abortion rights groups cheer on Harris
Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion rights groups are cheering on Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she will “fight like hell” for abortion rights. Harris has led the charge under Biden’s presidency with abortion rights, a major issue in the 2024 election.
“As we have navigated this public health crisis, Vice President Harris has kept the needs and experiences of patients and providers front and center. She’s the first Vice President to visit a Planned Parenthood health center — and we know that she will continue to fight like hell to rebuild a fundamental right that was stripped away,” Planned Parenthood said in a statement Sunday.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris’ record when it comes to protecting our reproductive freedoms and abortion access is unquestionable — these last two years, they have been the strongest, steadiest voice in the post-Dobbs storm,” Planned Parenthood said.
Biden told senior team one minute before announcement
President Joe Biden told his senior team that he had changed his mind about staying in the race one minute before going public, a source told ABC News.
Biden told his team at 1:45 pm on Sunday, and posted his announcement to the public at 1:46 pm, the source said.
As recently as Saturday night, according to the source, Biden’s message had still been “full speed ahead.”
Amy Klobuchar backs Kamala Harris
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told ABC News she is backing Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election.
“I worked with her in the Senate for years and we became closer friends even when we ran against each other,” Klobuchar said.
Klobuchar said President Joe Biden chose “the honorable path” by dropping out.
“President Biden has served with integrity and delivered results that will strengthen our country for generations to come. He passed historic legislation investing in our infrastructure, manufacturing and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. I am deeply grateful for his service, dedication, and commitment to our country and our democracy,” Klobuchar said.
Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson calls for open convention
Marianne Williamson is throwing her hat back in the 2024 presidential election ring after President Joe Biden exited the race Sunday.
“The nomination of a new Democratic candidate must be opened to a genuinely democratic process at an open convention,” Williamson told ABC News in a statement.
“No one should simply be anointed to the position of nominee; all candidates must be heard and their agendas explored,” Williamson said, seemingly referencing Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Our party’s basic first principle is democracy,” Williamson continued, adding, “We cannot save our democracy without practicing it ourselves.”
“I look forward to taking my message to the American people, and convincing Democratic delegates, that I am the best candidate to take us to victory in November,” Williamson said.
Obama lauds Biden as ‘a patriot of the highest order,’ no mention of Harris
In a statement, former President Barack Obama lauded President Joe Biden for his decades of service and decision to leave the race. He did not mention Vice President Kamala Harris in the statement.
“Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me,” Obama wrote. “Today, we’ve also been reminded — again — that he’s a patriot of the highest order.”
Obama praised Biden’s “outstanding track record” in office and how he “has never backed down from a fight.”
“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,” he wrote. “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 said he has “extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
“For now, Michelle and I just want to express our love and gratitude to Joe and Jill for leading us so ably and courageously during these perilous times — and for their commitment to the ideals of freedom and equality that this country was founded on,” he wrote.
Elizabeth Warren says Kamala Harris is ready take on Trump
Ahead of President Joe Biden’s announcement that he dropped out of the 2024 presidential election, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., had voiced her support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“If President Biden decides to step back, we have Vice President Kamala Harris, who is ready to step up, to unite the party, to take on Donald Trump, and to win in November,” Warren said.
Trump says next Democratic candidate will be ‘more of the same’
Former President Donald Trump is rallying against the Democratic Party Sunday, following the announcement President Joe Biden is leaving the 2024 race.
“Crooked Joe Biden is the Worst President, by far, in the History of our Nation. He has done everything possible to destroy our Country,” Trump said in a statement on TruthSocial.
“Whoever the Left puts up now will just be more of the same,” Trump continued.
Trump’s campaign also released a statement Sunday, calling out Vice President Kamala Harris by name, after Biden endorsed her as the next Democratic pick.
“Kamala Harris is just as much of joke as Biden is,” the campaign said, adding, “Harris will be even WORSE for the people of our Nation than Joe Biden. Harris has been the Enabler in Chief for Crooked Joe this entire time. They own each other’s records, and there is no distance between the two.”
Donors, delegates relieved Biden dropped out, but split on Harris
Democratic delegates and donors are say they are “relieved” and “thrilled” that President Biden has made the decision to step down, but they are divided on the best path forward.
“No one I know wants a coronation. In fact, Kamala will be stronger to go through a mini primary and we need to have an alternative or two,” one key donor told ABC News.
“We need to put best ticket together and let delegates vote,” the donor added. “Not sure it’ll happen but we are trying.”
Another delegate and donor told ABC News they are fully behind Harris.
“Now big donor money will start flowing again. His selfless act will save our republic,” a second donor said.
Biden and Harris spoke ahead of the president’s decision to leave 2024 race
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on Sunday, ahead of Biden’s decision to end his bid for reelection and endorse Harris to be the next Democratic pick.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” Biden wrote in a statement on X.
Sen. Cory Booker expresses ‘profound gratitude’ to Biden
In a statement on X, Sen. Cory Booker expressed his “profound gratitude” to Biden following news that he would end his reelection campaign.
“I cannot overstate the gravity of the noble and history-making decision that President Biden just made. The feeling that I have right now is one of profound gratitude,” Booker wrote. “I am grateful that Joe Biden has been a friend, the most dedicated of public servants, and an extraordinary president.”
“I am grateful that we have a president whose patriotism and love of country drove him to run and win against demagoguery in 2020, and who now, because of that same fierce love and devotion to his fellow Americans, has decided to be the bridge to a new generation of leaders,” he wrote.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer weighs in on Biden’s decision
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised President Biden’s legacy and said he “put the country, his party, and our future first” with his decision Sunday.
“Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American,” he said.
Schumer’s statement comes days after sources told ABC News that Schumer privately urged Biden to drop out of the race.
Schumer had a blunt conversation with Biden, sources said, making the case it would be best if Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
Sen. Bernie Sanders says Biden has served with ‘honor and dignity’
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders reacted to Biden’s decision to end his bid for reelection on Sunday.
“Joe Biden has served our country with honor and dignity,” Sanders wrote in a statement on X.
“As the first president to ever walk on a picket line with striking workers, he has been the most pro-working class president in modern American history,” Sanders continued.
Sanders ran against Biden for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential race.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for all you’ve done,” Sanders wrote.
Biden ‘patriotic American who has always put our country first’: Pelosi
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called President Joe Biden “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. 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 said in a statement Sunday.
“God blessed America with Joe Biden’s greatness and goodness,” Pelosi said.
Bill and Hillary Clinton endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president
Bill and Hillary Clinton endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, saying in a statement that they would “fight with everything we’ve got” to elect her.
“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” they wrote.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison says party will announce next steps in nomination
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said the Democratic Party will be soon announcing next steps and the path forward for the nomination process for the 2024 presidential candidate.
“As we move forward to formally select our Party’s nominee, our values as Democrats remain the same — lowering costs, restoring freedom, protecting the rights of all people, and saving our democracy from the threat of dictatorship. We have and will continue to make this case to the American people,” Harrison said in a statement Sunday.
Harrison also thanked Biden for “the unparalleled progress he has delivered over the last four years.”
“We will honor that legacy, and the decision that he has made today, through a firm commitment to nominating and electing a Democratic president this November who will carry that torch into the next four years,” Harrison said.
Biden-Harris staff was caught off guard by decision to step down: Sources
Staff members who work for both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had no indication Biden had made his decision to step down from the 2024 race, sources told ABC News.
The administration’s staff was not aware, even as his letter was being distributed, sources said.
Pete Buttigieg commends Biden for prioritizing ‘what is best for our country’
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who ran against Biden in 2020, commended President Biden’s decision to leave the race in a post on X.
“Joe Biden has earned his place among the best and most consequential presidents in American history,” he wrote. “I am so proud to serve under his leadership, and thankful for his unwavering focus on what is best for our country.”
Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile backs Harris, predicts she will be nominee
Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile is backing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and predicted she would be the nominee, but left open the possibility of an open convention that would land her the nomination.
“Part A was Biden-Harris. Part B was Harris and her running mate. Part C would likely be an open convention” where Harris would likely prevail, Brazile, an ABC News contributor, told ABC News Live.
Harris has not yet said whether she will be running for president.
“She would be and is the strongest candidate,” Brazile said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer praises Biden as a ‘great public servant’
After Biden’s announcement that he would end his reelection campaign, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer praised him in a post on X.
“President Biden is a great public servant who knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump,” she wrote. “His remarkable work to lower prescription drug costs, fix the damn roads, bring supply chains home, address climate change, and ensure America’s global leadership over decades will go down in history.”
“My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families’ costs, banning abortion nationwide, and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan,” she wrote.
‘A good day for the Democratic Party,’ Sen. Heitkamp says
Minutes after President Joe Biden announced he was stepping down from the 2024 presidential race, former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said that while she considers Biden an ally and a friend, Sunday is “a good day for the Democratic Party.”
Heitkamp called his decision “a sacrifice he is making for the country.”
“He has served this country so ably, it can’t have been easy,” Heitkamp said, in an interview on ABC News Live.
Biden endorses Vice President Kamala Harris
After announcing he would exit the 2024 race, President Joe Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
In a message on X, Biden called picking Harris as his running mate in 2020 the “best decision” he has made.
“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 wrote. “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,” he wrote. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Biden says he’ll ‘stand down’ from 2024 election
President Joe Biden has announced he is stepping down from the 2024 presidential race.
Biden made the announcement on Sunday, saying in a statement, “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
The president said he will address the nation later this week with more details about his decision.
Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas is announcing an independent investigation into the Secret Service’s handling of the Trump assassination attempt at the White House. — Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said there will be a bipartisan, independent review of the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
The independent review will be made up of four people: former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano; Frances Townsend, the former Homeland Security adviser to President George W. Bush; Mark Filip, a former federal judge and deputy attorney general to President George W. Bush; and David Mitchell, the former superintendent of Maryland State Police and former Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the State of Delaware.
Mayorkas said he could invite additional experts to join the panel in the coming days.
The group will have 45 days to review the policies and procedures of the Secret Service before, during and after the rally on July 13.
“All Americans share a concern about the safety of our public officials,” members of the independent review panel said in a joint statement. “We formed this bipartisan group to quickly identify improvements the U.S. Secret Service can implement to enhance their work. We must all work together to ensure events like July 13 do not happen again.”
Mayorkas said his department is committed to being transparent with the findings.
Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle is set to testify Monday before the House Oversight Committee.
U.S. Secret Service Director is interviewed about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump by ABC News’ Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas in Milwaukee, WI on July 15, 2024. — Jack Date / ABC
(WASHINGTON) — The United States Secret Service Director will tell Congress on Monday the agency failed in protecting former President Donald Trump on July 13 and will take full responsibility for the lapses in security that day.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders. On July 13th, we failed,” U.S. Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle is expected to testify before the House Oversight Committee, according to testimony excerpts released by the Department of Homeland Security. “As the Director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse. As an agency, we are fully cooperating with the FBI’s investigation, the oversight you have initiated here, and conducting our own internal mission assurance review at my direction. Likewise, we will cooperate with the pending external review and the DHS Office of the Inspector General.”
In her first hearing before Congress, Cheatle is also expected to tell the committee that she will move “heaven and earth” to ensure what occurred on July 13 will never happen again, according to the excerpts obtained by ABC News.
“Our mission is not political. It is literally a matter of life and death, as the tragic events on July 13th remind us. I have full confidence in the men and women of the Secret Service,” she is expected to say. “They are worthy of our support in executing our protective mission.”
This is yet another consequential week for the Secret Service, which is tasked with providing security to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Washington, D.C., something the director has been focused on while also overseeing the security in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention.
Cheatle will face a grilling before the House Oversight Committee on Monday over how her agency handled security around the attempted assassination of Trump.
She has faced calls from multiple Republicans and at least one Democrat to resign after the former president was targeted at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
She has said she will not resign.
Lawmakers on the House Oversight and Governmental Affairs Committee will press Cheatle on what went wrong, what the Secret Service knew and when they knew it.
She will also face questions about whether her agency denied former President Trump’s security detail resources it has requested in the two years before Saturday, as first reported by The Washington Post, something her agency initially denied but then admitted over the weekend.
In a statement to ABC News, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said, “In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee. This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.”
“The American People have lots of questions, and they deserve answers,” the Republican chairman, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, said on “Fox News Sunday” when asked about Monday’s hearing.
In a rare bipartisan statement, the committee’s top Democrat, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, had joined Comer in demanding that Cheatle testify after the Department of Homeland Security asked that her appearance be delayed, resulting in Comer issuing a subpoena.
“Americans have many serious questions about the historic security failures that occurred at the campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle must appear before the House Oversight Committee without delay on Monday, July 22 to answer our many questions and provide the transparency and accountability that Americans deserve and that are at the foundation of our government,” they wrote.
The DHS inspector general has opened three separate investigations into what went wrong, the FBI is currently leading a criminal investigation and House Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged congressional resources for a separate investigation.
As the head of the agency, Cheatle said it was her responsibility to investigate what went wrong and ensure that it does not happen again.
“The buck stops with me,” she told ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas in an exclusive interview last Monday. “I am the director of the Secret Service, and I need to make sure that we are performing a review and that we are giving resources to our personnel as necessary.”
Cheatle has been in Milwaukee the past week overseeing security for the Republican National Convention and met with the former president last Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the situation.
“Secret Service is not political,” she told ABC News. “Security is not political. People’s safety is not political. And that’s what we’re focused on as an agency.”
Republicans also signaled they would question her about past statements that promoting diversity in the agency was a top priority.
DHS pushed back against criticism of women in Trump’s security detail.
“In the days following the attempted assassination of former President Trump, some people have made public statements questioning the presence of women in law enforcement, including in the United States Secret Service,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other senior leaders wrote in a statement. “These assertions are baseless and insulting.”
People wait to receive food cards after registering as new arrivals at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDP) in Agari, North Kordofan, on June 17, 2024. — Guy Peterson/AFP via Getty Images
(LONDON) — Civilians across Sudan are enduring “indiscriminate and widespread” violence as fighting between the Sudanese Army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and allied militias approaches its 16th month, a new report by Doctors Without Borders said Monday.
The report — created by curating months of operational data, medical data and first-hand accounts from civilians and MSF teams on the ground — has found civilians across the Northeast African nation have faced “horrendous levels of violence” over the past year, “succumbing to widespread fighting and surviving repeated attacks, abuse and exploitation” by warring parties, according to the organization, which is also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF),
“The situation has deteriorated exponentially,” Ada Yee, MSF’s emergency coordinator, told ABC News over the phone from Nyala, South Darfur. “The situation in Sudan was not easy before, but now it is much worse. It has been staggering to witness this level of violence and the impact on women, children and vulnerable persons who have been left with no choice but to endure it.”
The report found the conflict has had “disastrous consequences” on the health and well-being of civilians in Sudan, physical and mental wounds of the violence exacerbated by a collapsing health system and a flow of humanitarian aid and lifesaving care routinely hindered by “widespread obstruction” by warring parties, insecurity, and looting of medical supplies.
The report highlights that many civilians are now dying from preventable complications; many unable to reach medical facilities on time due to factors such as conflict, and skyrocketing prices which have left them unable to afford medicine, if available.
“People are resilient, trying to carry on with their everyday life. But who knows what their personal story is? The ordinary person has probably been forced to relocate multiple times. Who knows how many of their family members have died or been injured? All that they have lost?”
A snapshot of the violence is illustrated through a small hospital near Sudan’s capital Khartoum: The Al-Nao Hospital in Omdurman. From August 2023 to April 2024, the hospital — one of the last functioning health facilities in Omdurman — admitted at least 6,776 war-wounded patients according to MSF, most suffering from gunshot, shrapnel or stab wounds.
In October 2023, Al-Nao Hospital’s emergency department was stuck by shelling, leaving two patient caretakers dead and at least 5 people injured. At least 399 have died from their injuries at the hospital, according to the report.
Sexual and gender-based violence was found to be “pervasive but critically underreported” due to factors such as social stigma and silence due to fear of retaliation, according to the report.
It comes as monitors warn the conflict is spreading across the Northeast African nation: Fighting recently intensifying in Sennar State as active conflict areas also continue in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, and across Darfur states.
The war broke out in Sudan in April of 2023, following months of simmering tensions between Sudan’s military and the RSF paramilitary group and allied militias over a planned transition to civilian rule.
The conflict has resulted in more than 16,000 deaths, precipitated one of the ‘world’s worst humanitarian crises in recent history’ and sparked the world’s ‘largest displacement’ crisis forcing over 10 million from their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“The humanitarian situation is horrible,” Yasin, who recently fled the besieged city of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, told ABC News over the phone. “People no longer have homes, they need shelters.”
Like many Sudanese civilians, Yasin has been displaced at least three times since the onset of the war.
“As always in times of war, it is civilians who are bearing the brunt,” said Radhouane Nouicer, the designated expert on Sudan of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. “The scale and magnitude of human rights violations and abuses committed in Sudan are appalling.”
The U.N. says recently concluded talks with warring parties in Geneva have proven an “encouraging” first step towards an end to the war, with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ personal envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, meeting separately with delegations from the Sudanese army and the RSF under a proximity format.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced last week that the United States is providing nearly $203 million in additional humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan and refugees who have fled to neighboring Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.
“The people of Sudan are facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” Thomas-Greenfield said, adding that “only two-thirds” of the over $2.1 billion in humanitarian aid pledged during the Paris conference in April have so far been disbursed, and only “a quarter” of the response funded.
“We hope this new round of aid serves as a call to action for others to follow suit,” said Thomas-Greenfield.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor swears in Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during the Presidential Inauguration, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington. (Gabrielle Lurie/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday came after heavy pressure from congressional Democrats, including Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and more than 30 House lawmakers.
Biden, 81, has resisted calls to step aside that grew almost daily following his poor performance in his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump and persistent questions about his age and mental fitness.
His decision comes just a few months before the Nov. 5 election.
Biden backed his vice president, Kamala Harris for the top of the ticket — a move that has led many others in the party to issue statements backing Harris.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says Biden should be ‘commended’ for exit from race
Larry Hogan, the former Maryland governor who is running for U.S. Senate, released a statement on X Sunday after President Biden ended his bid for reelection.
“I believe he made the right decision for his family and the country,” Hogan, a Republican, said of Biden, adding, “These are dangerous and unprecedented times. He should be commended for putting the country ahead of personal ambition.”
“The only way out of this cycle of chaos, divisiveness and dysfunction is to elect principled, common sense and experienced leaders who will focus on the day-to-day challenges facing Americans,” Hogan continued.
“We need less palace intrigue, less partisan nonsense, and more decisive action to solve the serious problems facing our nation,” Hogan said.
Trump donated $6,000 to Kamala Harris’s 2014 AG campaign
Then-businessman Donald Trump donated $6,000 to Kamala Harris’ 2014 California Attorney General reelection campaign, state campaign finance records show.
Trump initially donated $5,000 to Harris’s campaign in 2011, and donated another $1,000 to her campaign in 2013.
Ivanka Trump also donated $2,000 to Harris’s campaign in 2013.
Ad by pro-Trump PAC attacking Harris made days before Biden announcement
The attack ad put out on Sunday by a pro-Donald Trump PAC attacking Vice President Kamala Harris was made “days” before President Joe Biden announced his decision to drop out of the race, two sources familiar told ABC News.
One source describing the move as “just in case,” emphasizing how they had been preparing for this.
One source with the PAC told ABC News that they are viewing the switch from Biden to Harris as a “simple pivot” because Harris “owns all of Joe Biden’s failures.”
The plan is to frame Harris as a “co-conspirator” in Biden’s agenda — specifically on immigration, as the team has been reporting, the source said.
Vance says he and Trump ‘are ready to save America,’ tells Dems to ‘bring it on’
Former President Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance reacted to President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, calling him “the worst president in my lifetime” and saying they are ready to take on Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way. Over the last four years she co-signed Biden’s open border and green scam policies that drove up the cost of housing and groceries. She owns all of these failures, and she lied for nearly four years about Biden’s mental capacity–saddling the nation with a president who can’t do the job,” Vance said in a statement on X.
“President Trump and I are ready to save America, whoever’s at the top of the Democrat ticket. Bring it on,” Vance said.
Kamala Harris begins fundraising for 2024 presidential campaign
After announcing her 2024 presidential campaign, Kamala Harris has put out a public call for fundraising.
“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda. If you’re with me, add a donation right now,” Harris wrote on X Sunday.
The statement includes a photo with President Joe Biden, who endorsed Harris immediately following his exit from the race.
Christie says it is unlikely Democrats would challenge Harris
There are practical concerns that could dissuade other Democrats from challenging Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, an ABC News contributor, told ABC News Live on Sunday.
“There are such practical concerns for the people who might be thinking about challenging the vice president. None of them have national campaigns organized, none of them have one state director in any one of the 50 states, none of them have a national fundraising operation,” Christie said.
“I think she’ll be able to inherit the money that is in the Biden-Harris campaign right now,” Christie said.
Christie added that anyone considering running will wonder if they will be able to beat a candidate who is a sitting vice president who has been endorsed by the sitting president.
“Most of the people who would be serious candidates, I think, quite frankly, they are going to look at this and say ‘I hope she picks me for No. 2’ and move on from there,” Christie said.
“I don’t think there is going to be any challenge to Kamala Harris,” Christie said.
Major Democratic donors endorse Vice President Kamala Harris
On the heels of President Biden’s departure from the 2024 presidential race Sunday, two major Democratic donors — Reid Hoffman and Alexander Soros — publicly endorsed Kamala Harris as the next candidate.
“The Democrats are the party of policy, progress, and action. When presented with the choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, I believe in the American people to make the right decision for our country,” Hoffman wrote in a statement on X.
Hoffman cofounded professional networking site LinkedIn in 2003 and is a partner at venture capital firm Greylock Partners.
“The Biden-Harris administration has put this country on the right track. It’s time for us to unite. I wholeheartedly support Kamala Harris and her candidacy for President of the United States in our fight for democracy in November,” he continued.
Soros, one of five sons of billionaire George Soros, took to X to share a photo of himself with Harris, writing: “It’s time for us all to unite around Kamala Harris and beat Donald Trump. She is the best and most qualified candidate we have. Long live the American Dream! #Harris2024.”
DNC members circulate letter endorsing Harris
Sixty-three signatories had joined onto the letter, which was obtained by ABC News, as of early Sunday evening, but more signatures could be added.
“We are deeply grateful to President Biden and his family for their decades of service to our nation, including the decision he made today to pass the torch of the Democratic nomination and American democracy itself to a new generation of public servants. We strongly and enthusiastically endorse Vice President Kamala Harris — the candidate with the best experience and capacity to unite our Party and the United States — for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. We ask that you join us,” they wrote.
Firefighters union on Biden’s exit: ‘Will forever be in his debt’
The International Association of Fire Fighters, which was the first union to back Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, released a statement on his decision to exit the 2024 race.
“Past, present, and future fire fighters are better off because of Joe Biden,” IAFF general president Edward A. Kelly said Sunday.
“For nearly 50 years, he has been a champion of the IAFF. His work has directly led to the hiring of tens of thousands of fire fighters, safety improvements in this most dangerous of jobs, and a nation that is now aware of the toxic threats we face every time we put on our gear,” Kelly said.
“And, when a fire fighter makes the ultimate sacrifice, President Biden’s work has ensured their families receive the benefits they deserve,” Kelly continued.
Kelly called Biden the “greatest President fire fighters and emergency medical workers have ever had.”
“Our membership – and the communities we serve – will forever be in his debt,” Kelly said.
Al Gore calls Biden an ‘exceptional leader,’ praises climate change action
Former Vice President Al Gore joined the chorus of Democratic leaders weighing in on President Biden’s decision to leave the 2024 presidential race on Sunday.
Praising Biden’s significant action toward climate change solutions, Gore said in a statement on X, “As President, Joe Biden has been — and is — an exceptional leader. He is responsible for developing and signing the most significant investment in climate solutions into law.”
“I know that he is not done delivering for the American people and will continue to serve this nation with wisdom and dignity in the coming months,” Gore continued, adding, “In paving the way for a new generation of leadership, President Biden’s decision is a fitting testament to his profoundly consequential career.”
“I applaud his selfless decision,” Gore wrote.
Harris thanks Biden for leadership, putting country first
In a statement announcing her candidacy for president, Vice President Kamala Harris thanked President Joe Biden for his “extraordinary leadership.”
“I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many Presidents who have served two terms in office,” Harris said.
“With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else,” Harris said.
Biden endorsed Harris after announcing his exit on Sunday, saying choosing her as his running mate in 2020 was the “best decision I’ve ever made.”
“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” Harris said.
Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney calls Biden’s decision ‘courageous’
In a post on X, former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney — a Republican and frequent critic of former President Donald Trump — praised Biden’s decision to leave the race as “courageous.”
“The framers of our Constitution knew that our republic would endure only if our presidents have the character and honor to put duty ahead of self interest,” Cheney wrote. “President Biden deserves our gratitude for his decades of service to our nation and for his courageous decision today.”
Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen weighs in on Biden’s exit from 2024 race
Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, from the key battleground state of Nevada, shared a statement on President Biden departing from the 2024 election on Sunday.
“President Biden has served our country in public office with dignity and integrity for decades,” Rosen said, adding, “I thank President Biden for his leadership and respect his decision not to seek reelection.”
“There is still a lot more work to do on behalf of Nevadans to lower costs, create more opportunity, and defend our fundamental freedoms,” Rosen said.
Rosen noticeably did not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in her statement Sunday.
Vice President Kamala Harris says she intends to seek nomination for president
Vice President Kamala Harris has announced she intends to run for president in 2024, hours after President Joe Biden said he will be dropping out of the race.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said in a statement Sunday.
“We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win,” Harris said.
Planned Parenthood, pro-abortion rights groups cheer on Harris
Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion rights groups are cheering on Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she will “fight like hell” for abortion rights. Harris has led the charge under Biden’s presidency with abortion rights, a major issue in the 2024 election.
“As we have navigated this public health crisis, Vice President Harris has kept the needs and experiences of patients and providers front and center. She’s the first Vice President to visit a Planned Parenthood health center — and we know that she will continue to fight like hell to rebuild a fundamental right that was stripped away,” Planned Parenthood said in a statement Sunday.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris’ record when it comes to protecting our reproductive freedoms and abortion access is unquestionable — these last two years, they have been the strongest, steadiest voice in the post-Dobbs storm,” Planned Parenthood said.
Biden told senior team one minute before announcement
President Joe Biden told his senior team that he had changed his mind about staying in the race one minute before going public, a source told ABC News.
Biden told his team at 1:45 pm on Sunday, and posted his announcement to the public at 1:46 pm, the source said.
As recently as Saturday night, according to the source, Biden’s message had still been “full speed ahead.”
Amy Klobuchar backs Kamala Harris
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., told ABC News she is backing Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the 2024 election.
“I worked with her in the Senate for years and we became closer friends even when we ran against each other,” Klobuchar said.
Klobuchar said President Joe Biden chose “the honorable path” by dropping out.
“President Biden has served with integrity and delivered results that will strengthen our country for generations to come. He passed historic legislation investing in our infrastructure, manufacturing and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. I am deeply grateful for his service, dedication, and commitment to our country and our democracy,” Klobuchar said.
Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson calls for open convention
Marianne Williamson is throwing her hat back in the 2024 presidential election ring after President Joe Biden exited the race Sunday.
“The nomination of a new Democratic candidate must be opened to a genuinely democratic process at an open convention,” Williamson told ABC News in a statement.
“No one should simply be anointed to the position of nominee; all candidates must be heard and their agendas explored,” Williamson said, seemingly referencing Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Our party’s basic first principle is democracy,” Williamson continued, adding, “We cannot save our democracy without practicing it ourselves.”
“I look forward to taking my message to the American people, and convincing Democratic delegates, that I am the best candidate to take us to victory in November,” Williamson said.
Obama lauds Biden as ‘a patriot of the highest order,’ no mention of Harris
In a statement, former President Barack Obama lauded President Joe Biden for his decades of service and decision to leave the race. He did not mention Vice President Kamala Harris in the statement.
“Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me,” Obama wrote. “Today, we’ve also been reminded — again — that he’s a patriot of the highest order.”
Obama praised Biden’s “outstanding track record” in office and how he “has never backed down from a fight.”
“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,” he wrote. “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 said he has “extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
“For now, Michelle and I just want to express our love and gratitude to Joe and Jill for leading us so ably and courageously during these perilous times — and for their commitment to the ideals of freedom and equality that this country was founded on,” he wrote.
Elizabeth Warren says Kamala Harris is ready take on Trump
Ahead of President Joe Biden’s announcement that he dropped out of the 2024 presidential election, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., had voiced her support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“If President Biden decides to step back, we have Vice President Kamala Harris, who is ready to step up, to unite the party, to take on Donald Trump, and to win in November,” Warren said.
Trump says next Democratic candidate will be ‘more of the same’
Former President Donald Trump is rallying against the Democratic Party Sunday, following the announcement President Joe Biden is leaving the 2024 race.
“Crooked Joe Biden is the Worst President, by far, in the History of our Nation. He has done everything possible to destroy our Country,” Trump said in a statement on TruthSocial.
“Whoever the Left puts up now will just be more of the same,” Trump continued.
Trump’s campaign also released a statement Sunday, calling out Vice President Kamala Harris by name, after Biden endorsed her as the next Democratic pick.
“Kamala Harris is just as much of joke as Biden is,” the campaign said, adding, “Harris will be even WORSE for the people of our Nation than Joe Biden. Harris has been the Enabler in Chief for Crooked Joe this entire time. They own each other’s records, and there is no distance between the two.”
Donors, delegates relieved Biden dropped out, but split on Harris
Democratic delegates and donors are say they are “relieved” and “thrilled” that President Biden has made the decision to step down, but they are divided on the best path forward.
“No one I know wants a coronation. In fact, Kamala will be stronger to go through a mini primary and we need to have an alternative or two,” one key donor told ABC News.
“We need to put best ticket together and let delegates vote,” the donor added. “Not sure it’ll happen but we are trying.”
Another delegate and donor told ABC News they are fully behind Harris.
“Now big donor money will start flowing again. His selfless act will save our republic,” a second donor said.
Biden and Harris spoke ahead of the president’s decision to leave 2024 race
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on Sunday, ahead of Biden’s decision to end his bid for reelection and endorse Harris to be the next Democratic pick.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” Biden wrote in a statement on X.
Sen. Cory Booker expresses ‘profound gratitude’ to Biden
In a statement on X, Sen. Cory Booker expressed his “profound gratitude” to Biden following news that he would end his reelection campaign.
“I cannot overstate the gravity of the noble and history-making decision that President Biden just made. The feeling that I have right now is one of profound gratitude,” Booker wrote. “I am grateful that Joe Biden has been a friend, the most dedicated of public servants, and an extraordinary president.”
“I am grateful that we have a president whose patriotism and love of country drove him to run and win against demagoguery in 2020, and who now, because of that same fierce love and devotion to his fellow Americans, has decided to be the bridge to a new generation of leaders,” he wrote.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer weighs in on Biden’s decision
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised President Biden’s legacy and said he “put the country, his party, and our future first” with his decision Sunday.
“Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American,” he said.
Schumer’s statement comes days after sources told ABC News that Schumer privately urged Biden to drop out of the race.
Schumer had a blunt conversation with Biden, sources said, making the case it would be best if Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
Sen. Bernie Sanders says Biden has served with ‘honor and dignity’
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders reacted to Biden’s decision to end his bid for reelection on Sunday.
“Joe Biden has served our country with honor and dignity,” Sanders wrote in a statement on X.
“As the first president to ever walk on a picket line with striking workers, he has been the most pro-working class president in modern American history,” Sanders continued.
Sanders ran against Biden for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential race.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for all you’ve done,” Sanders wrote.
Biden ‘patriotic American who has always put our country first’: Pelosi
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called President Joe Biden “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. 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 said in a statement Sunday.
“God blessed America with Joe Biden’s greatness and goodness,” Pelosi said.
Bill and Hillary Clinton endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president
Bill and Hillary Clinton endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, saying in a statement that they would “fight with everything we’ve got” to elect her.
“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” they wrote.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison says party will announce next steps in nomination
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said the Democratic Party will be soon announcing next steps and the path forward for the nomination process for the 2024 presidential candidate.
“As we move forward to formally select our Party’s nominee, our values as Democrats remain the same — lowering costs, restoring freedom, protecting the rights of all people, and saving our democracy from the threat of dictatorship. We have and will continue to make this case to the American people,” Harrison said in a statement Sunday.
Harrison also thanked Biden for “the unparalleled progress he has delivered over the last four years.”
“We will honor that legacy, and the decision that he has made today, through a firm commitment to nominating and electing a Democratic president this November who will carry that torch into the next four years,” Harrison said.
Biden-Harris staff was caught off guard by decision to step down: Sources
Staff members who work for both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had no indication Biden had made his decision to step down from the 2024 race, sources told ABC News.
The administration’s staff was not aware, even as his letter was being distributed, sources said.
Pete Buttigieg commends Biden for prioritizing ‘what is best for our country’
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who ran against Biden in 2020, commended President Biden’s decision to leave the race in a post on X.
“Joe Biden has earned his place among the best and most consequential presidents in American history,” he wrote. “I am so proud to serve under his leadership, and thankful for his unwavering focus on what is best for our country.”
Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile backs Harris, predicts she will be nominee
Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile is backing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and predicted she would be the nominee, but left open the possibility of an open convention that would land her the nomination.
“Part A was Biden-Harris. Part B was Harris and her running mate. Part C would likely be an open convention” where Harris would likely prevail, Brazile, an ABC News contributor, told ABC News Live.
Harris has not yet said whether she will be running for president.
“She would be and is the strongest candidate,” Brazile said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer praises Biden as a ‘great public servant’
After Biden’s announcement that he would end his reelection campaign, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer praised him in a post on X.
“President Biden is a great public servant who knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump,” she wrote. “His remarkable work to lower prescription drug costs, fix the damn roads, bring supply chains home, address climate change, and ensure America’s global leadership over decades will go down in history.”
“My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families’ costs, banning abortion nationwide, and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan,” she wrote.
‘A good day for the Democratic Party,’ Sen. Heitkamp says
Minutes after President Joe Biden announced he was stepping down from the 2024 presidential race, former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said that while she considers Biden an ally and a friend, Sunday is “a good day for the Democratic Party.”
Heitkamp called his decision “a sacrifice he is making for the country.”
“He has served this country so ably, it can’t have been easy,” Heitkamp said, in an interview on ABC News Live.
Biden endorses Vice President Kamala Harris
After announcing he would exit the 2024 race, President Joe Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
In a message on X, Biden called picking Harris as his running mate in 2020 the “best decision” he has made.
“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 wrote. “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,” he wrote. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Biden says he’ll ‘stand down’ from 2024 election
President Joe Biden has announced he is stepping down from the 2024 presidential race.
Biden made the announcement on Sunday, saying in a statement, “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
The president said he will address the nation later this week with more details about his decision.
(PHILADELPHIA) — Nine people were shot, three fatally, when gunfire involving multiple gunmen erupted early Sunday at a party in Philadelphia, authorities said.
The mass shooting unfolded around 2 a.m. on the 1200 block of North Alden Street in the Carroll Park neighborhood of West Philadelphia, where a party attended by more than 100 people was taking place, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.
When officers arrived, they found victims suffering from gunshot wounds and multiple spent shell casings scattered in the area, Philadelphia police Inspector D.F. Pace said during a news conference at the scene.
“It appears that there were multiple shooters. It’s unclear at this time how many. But we have counted at least 25 to 30 spent shell casings at this time,” Pace said. “We’re not sure if it was a block party or just simply a group of individuals who were invited from other parts of the city. It’s just not clear at this time.”
Pace initially said a total of 10 people were shot, including the three who were killed. But in the latest statement released Sunday, police said nine victims were shot.
One gun was recovered at the scene, officials said.
“Preliminary information indicates an exchange of gunfire between multiple parties resulting in a nonuple shooting and triple homicide,” police said in a statement.
The shell casings recovered from the scene indicate different caliber weapons were used in the shooting, which is “consistent with an exchange of gunfire between individuals on location,” according to the latest police statement.
Investigators were working to identify those involved in the shooting. No arrests have been announced and the names of the victims killed were not immediately released.
A motive for the shooting was also under investigation, police said.
Three men ages 23, 29 and 33 were killed in the shooting, police said. One died at the scene and two were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead, police said.
The other shooting victims were a 26-year-old woman and five men ranging in age from 26 to 30, according to police. All were listed in stable condition, police said.
Two of the victims who survived the shooting were taken to hospitals in private vehicles, police said.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Constitutional Convention of the UNITE HERE hospitality union in New York on June 21, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Kamala Harris thanked President Joe Biden for his leadership following the news Sunday that he will not continue his bid for reelection.
Her statement comes amid a growing chorus of endorsements for her candidacy in the 2024 presidential race.
“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as president of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” she said in a statement released Sunday.
“His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many presidents who have served two terms in office,” she said.
Biden endorsed Harris in his statement on his exit, offering his “full support and endorsement” for her to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.
At a July 11 press conference, Biden also hinted at his belief in Harris’ ability to lead, saying at the time: “I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president.”
Former President Bill Clinton and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also endorsed Harris.
“We are honored to join the president in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” the two said in a statement on X.
In the House, Harris has received endorsements so far from: Rep. Jamal Bowman, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Ami Bera, Rep. Eric Swallwell, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Salud Carbajal, Rep. Dan Kildee and Rep. Haley Stevens.
In the Senate, Harris has received endorsements so far from: Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Ed Markey.
In her statement Sunday, Harris continued, “It is a profound honor to serve as his vice president, and I am deeply grateful to the president, [first lady] Dr. [Jill] Biden, and the entire Biden family. I first came to know President Biden through his son Beau. We were friends from our days working together as attorneys gneral of our home states. As we worked together, Beau would tell me stories about his dad. The kind of father — and the kind of man — he was. And the qualities Beau revered in his father are the same qualities, the same values, I have seen every single day in Joe’s leadership as president: His honesty and integrity. His big heart and commitment to his faith and his family. And his love of our country and the American people.”
President Joe Biden speaks alongside Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala before a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, April 15, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is leaving the 2024 race after a halting debate performance against Donald Trump led to questions from Democrats about his age, ability to carry out his campaign and whether he could serve a second term.
Biden said in a statement posted Sunday that he will “stand down.”
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” he wrote, in part, in a letter posted on X. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
“I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision,” he added.
In another post on X, Biden gave his “full support and endorsement” for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee.
First lady Jill Biden reposted her husband’s post announcing he’s dropping out with a hearts emoji.
The stunning move upends what has been a long general election rematch between Biden and Trump, both of whom handily won their party’s primaries, with less than four months until the November contest.
While concerns about Biden’s age plagued him since he launched his reelection campaign in April 2023, they reached a fever pitch following his showdown with Trump at the CNN debate in Atlanta in late June.
Biden, who at 81 is the oldest sitting president in history, spoke with a hoarse voice that his team attributed to a cold. But coupled with his meandering answers and inability to hit Trump hard on key Democratic issues, his performance left some pundits and politicians speechless.
The White House and campaign chalked up the performance as a “bad night.” Biden defiantly insisted he would remain in the race, repeatedly telling Democrats he was the best option to defeat Trump.
“I convinced myself of two things. I’m the most qualified person to beat him, and I know how to get things done,” Biden told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in his first post-debate television interview.
“Look. I mean, if the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get outta the race,’ I’d get outta the race. The Lord Almighty’s not comin’ down,” Biden said at the time.
But early polling showed the debate’s negative impact. In 538’s national polling average, Trump now leads by 2 percentage points over Biden, while the two candidates were just about tied on the day of the June 27 debate.
And despite Biden and his campaign’s furious attempts at damage control, including a press conference after concluding a NATO summit in Washington where he took reporter questions for nearly an hour and tried to make the case he must “finish the job,” a steady drumbeat of Democratic lawmakers and public figures called on him to step aside as the nominee.
“The one thing I know for sure is that we can do better than Joe Biden as a person who can deliver our message in this election cycle,” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., told ABC News. “And we have time to do that. And we should.”
To emphasize how closely held Biden’s decision was, a source familiar with the matter told ABC Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang that Biden has informed his senior team that he changed his mind about staying in the race at 1:45 p.m. Sunday.
Biden’s letter came out at 1:46 p.m. — so his staff was told just one minute before the public announcement that he was dropping out.
Before Biden’s revelation Sunday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had publicly said they supported Biden making a decision during the party’s turmoil. But privately, they were said to have been sympathetic to the view held by a growing number of congressional Democrats that Biden was on a path to lose to Trump.
Schumer went to Delaware to speak to Biden and made the case it would be best if Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl reported.
As scrutiny of Biden intensified, focus increased on Vice President Kamala Harris as a possible choice to replace him as the Democratic nominee.
“I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president,” Biden said of Harris at his press conference on July 11.
The Democratic Party’s dysfunction stood in sharp contrast to the steadfast party unity shown to Trump during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
As he accepted his party’s nomination, Trump spoke of the “love in the room” and enthusiasm for what’s to come.
“I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America,” Trump said.
