‘Bye bye Biden, hello Bibi’ – Biden drops out of presidential race hours before Netanyahu set to arrive in Washington
In a dramatic but not entirely unexpected development, Joe Biden officially dropped out of the U.S. presidential campaign.
He announced on social media at 1:46 p.m. EST.
The move will create unprecedented upheaval in the American presidential race.
It will also complicate the upcoming visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Biden at the White House this week and then deliver an address to a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
BIDEN ENDORSES KAMALA HARRIS
At 2:13 p.m. EST, Biden formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him.
“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 on 𝕏.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.”
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
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. 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… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
AMERICA FACES HIGHLY DANGEROUS FIVE MONTHS
Though Biden is dropping out of the race, he says he is not resigning.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” the U.S. president wrote to the nation. “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 problem is that Biden has been demonstrating to the nation and the world in recent months that he is unfit mentally and physically to lead the U.S. or serve as Commander-in-Chief.
His weakness has become a serious liability for the Democratic Party, which is why there has been an escalating – and deafening – call by Democratic lawmakers, political operatives, and donors that he should drop out.
But that same weakness makes Biden a serious liability for the country.
The grave danger now is that enemies of the United States and her allies – Israel included – may feel emboldened to attack, calculating that Biden won’t be capable of responding to new global crises in a strong and decisive manner.
If Biden stays in power, the next five months or so until the inauguration in January 2025 could be highly dangerous for the U.S., Israel and our allies around the globe. Pray that new crises don’t erupt during Biden’s watch.
NETANYAHU SCHEDULED TO MEET BIDEN MONDAY
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Biden tomorrow (Monday) at the White House.
He is also scheduled to meet with Vice President Harris in the coming days.
It’s not clear at the moment if those meetings are still on.
The Israeli leader is then scheduled to address a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. EST.
How Biden’s bombshell announcement will affect Netanyahu’s speech is anyone’s guess.
Please pray for President Biden and his family, for the VP and her family, and for Netanyahu and the future of U.S.-Israeli relations.
We recommend to read:
Joel C. Rosenberg is the editor-in-chief of ALL ISRAEL NEWS and ALL ARAB NEWS and the President and CEO of Near East Media. A New York Times best-selling author, Middle East analyst, and Evangelical leader, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and sons.
