President Biden has endured a tumultuous few weeks that culminated Sunday with his decision to drop out of the 2024 race.
The 81-year-old president faced enormous pressure to make one of the most difficult decisions of his decades-long political career, eventually announcing that he would step aside and support Vice President Harris as his successor.
Here’s a timeline of events leading up to Biden’s departure.
June 27th: Biden was forced to rethink his political future after the first presidential debate against former President Trump. He gave a dismal debate performance, during which his voice was hoarse and he struggled to finish his sentences, which immediately led to calls from Democratic operatives for him to drop out.
July 2: The first incumbent Democratic lawmaker called on Biden to drop out of the race when Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) publicly urged him to end his candidacy. When Biden dropped out, about 30 Democratic lawmakers joined those calls.
July 3: Biden and his team made the rounds to try to stop the bleeding and accelerated the campaign to ease concerns among Democrats. That day, he spoke with Democratic leadership in Congress and Democratic governors. He also spoke to his campaign team and asked his chief of staff, Jeff Zients, to reassure White House aides.
July, 5th: In an effort to show he can participate in impromptu events, Biden participated in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. During that interview, Biden said he was “feeling terrible” before the debate and defended his health. Also that day, Biden campaigned in Wisconsin and fought off critics during his first major rally since calls mounted for him to quit.
July 8: Biden dared other Democrats to challenge him at the convention in August during a defiant “Morning Joe” interview. Also that day, the White House faced a series of questions about visitor records that showed that a neurologist specializing in Parkinson’s disease had visited the campus several times in recent months.
July 11: Biden gave a press conference at the end of the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, during which he was adamant that he was the best person to take on Trump in November. But he also faced new scrutiny after referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also later referred to Harris as “Vice President Trump”.
July 12th: Biden told a rally in Michigan that he won’t give up because voters made him the Democratic nominee for president, lashing out at the press, pundits, insiders and donors.
July 13: Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. Biden made three separate public comments in the following days to call for unity and halted campaign activities for three days. He and Trump spoke on the phone, and there was a brief lull in lawmakers’ calls for Biden to resign.
July 15: Biden gave an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, during which he sparred with Holt over his line of questioning about the fallout from the debate. He appeared frustrated when Holt asked if he would consider debating Trump again before the September debate.
July 17th: Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while campaigning in Las Vegas. He was isolated at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., when he announced his decision to resign four days later.
July, 19: Biden entered the weekend, during which he finally made the decision to drop out of the race, after 10 more incumbent Democrats called on him to drop out of the race that day. Pressure was mounting from party leaders such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) and former President Obama, who reportedly told Biden that he would probably lose to Trump.
July 21: Biden announced he was dropping out of the race. About 30 lawmakers called for him to leave, including Senators Joe Manchin (IW.Va.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in the last day.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
