President Joe Biden made a brief statement to reporters on Monday night, explaining his decision to step back from the presidential campaign and pass the torch to Kamala Harris. Biden stated that his decision was aimed at allowing the Democratic Party to concentrate on securing victories in the House and Senate races. He made these remarks before boarding Air Force One and departing from Chicago after delivering the keynote address on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention.
When asked by a reporter whether he was upset with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—who reportedly issued an ultimatum the night before Biden exited the race, expressing doubts about his ability to win a second term against Donald Trump—Biden dismissed the notion.
“No, I haven’t spoken to Nancy at all. I mean, look, no one influenced my decision,” Biden responded. “No one knew it was coming. What I decided to do was—I didn’t want to—to the extent that the party might lose Senate or House seats, that would have been the focus for the remainder of the campaign. And it wasn’t worth it.”
In his speech on Monday night, Biden urged voters to support the Democratic ticket and emphasized the importance of maintaining control of Congress. “We need you to vote. We need you to keep the Senate. We need you to win back the House of Representatives. We need you to beat Donald Trump,” he said, expressing confidence that the Harris-Walz ticket would “lead America forward, creating more jobs, standing up for workers, and growing the economy. Lower the cost for American families, so they just have a little more breathing room.”
Currently, the Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate, with Vice President Harris casting tie-breaking votes, while Republicans have an eight-seat majority over Democrats in the House.
