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World reacts as Biden quits US presidential election race

Many expressed their gratitude to Biden.

Tharun Suresh | July 22, 2024, 01:07 PM

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President Joe Biden announced on Jul. 21 (United States time) that he will end his presidential re-election campaign.

Biden also said he was endorsing his Vice President, Kamala Harris, to replace him as the Democratic Party's nominee for president.

Harris posted to X on Jul. 21 (U.S. time), thanking Biden for his "extraordinary leadership" and "decades of service".

"I am honoured to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," she wrote.

Many have since reacted to Biden's decision to exit the race, domestically and abroad. However, Biden will not resign as president and will remain in office.

Many Democrats hailed the decision as selfless and patriotic.

Republicans, on the other hand, are calling for Biden's immediate resignation as president, saying that he is unfit for the role.

Abroad, many world leaders reacted to the momentous news.

Democrats react

U.S. Representative and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi posted to X on Jul. 21 (U.S. time), calling Biden a "patriotic American".

"His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history," she wrote.

Former President Barack Obama also paid tribute to his vice president of eight years and hailed the decision in a lengthy statement made to Medium.

Obama recounted Biden's various achievements as president, both domestically and abroad, be it in the "revitalisation of NATO", investment in green policies, or passing gun safety legislation.

Obama also praised Biden's decision to exit the race as "putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own":

I also know Joe 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. 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.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who was Biden's rival for the nomination in the 2020 campaign, also thanked him and called him the most "pro-working class president in modern American history":

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton posted a joint statement to Bill Clinton's X account, endorsing Harris:

"We are honoured to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her," they wrote.

However, while many Democrats hailed Biden's decision, they have not explicitly referred to Harris.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Dick Durbin, the two top Senate Democrats, did not endorse Harris right away.

They nevertheless called for the party to rally behind a candidate to defeat Trump.

“Now the Democratic Party must unite behind a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump and keep America moving in the right direction. I will do everything in my power to help that effort,” Durbin said.

Republicans call for Biden to resign

Former President Donald Trump, who was nominated for the presidency by the Republican party on Jul. 19 (U.S. time), predictably came out with more attacks against Biden.

Trump posted to Truth Social on Jul. 21 (U.S. time), alleging that Biden is unfit for office:

Trump also told CNN that “Harris will be easier to beat than Joe Biden would have been."

Trump's running mate, JD Vance, called Biden the "worst President in [his] lifetime", in a post made to X.

Vance drew attention to Biden's immigration policies and investment in what he called "green scam policies", as well as cost of living issues.

BBC reported a statement by House Speaker and Trump loyalist Mike Johnson, who called for Biden to "resign the office immediately".

Johnson said: "If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to serve as president."

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley told Fox News:

We are not going to be changing our plans because President Trump is going to run his race, and whether it is Kamala Harris or anyone else, they are going to run on the exact same failed agenda that Joe Biden has been running over the last four years.

World leaders react

Leaders from around the world took the opportunity to pay tribute to Biden.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a statement on Biden's decision to exit the race, The Guardian reported.

Starmer wrote:

I respect President Biden’s decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency.

I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people.

Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, also posted to X:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to Biden for his "unwavering support for Ukraine's fight for freedom", which he said "continues to be critical".

According to the BBC Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, said that Russia's priority will still be on its war in Ukraine.

"We need to be patient and carefully monitor what happens," Peskov said.

Naftali Bennett, former Prime Minister of Israel, posted to X, thanking Biden for his "unwavering support of the State of Israel":

Bilahari Kausikan, who previously served as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, posted to Facebook an article by Bloomberg on Biden's stepping aside, with the caption: "I doubt it will really change the outcome."

Elon Musk tweets

Elon Musk posted to X (formerly Twitter) twice after Biden's announcement.

The first was about Biden's endorsement of Harris and was a retweet of a video of Harris.

Musk later posted again to X, this time retweeting a post he made on Jul. 19 (U.S. time).

The post made on Jul. 19 is a screenshot from "The Godfather Part II", a film about the internal strife of an Italian mafia family.

The scene in question concerns a member of the family, Fredo, who is murdered by the family's patriarch, Michael Corleone.

Fredo was Michael's brother, and was killed for betraying the family.

Musk made the post amidst growing calls for Biden to exit the race.

Musk, who was once sceptical of Trump and claimed neutrality in the election, has since announced his support for a Trump presidency.

Investors chime in

Investors have also chimed in following Biden's announcement.

Speaking to Reuters, investors noted that changes in the market are likely, but will depend more on who Biden's successor as the nominee will be.

Moreover, some expressed uncertainty as to how much a Harris presidency would differ from a Biden presidency.

Others noted that Biden's exit would definitely contribute to market volatility, though the extent of this remains unclear.

Top photo from Joe Biden/X. 

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