Barack Declares Biden a “Patriot of the Highest Order” for Dropping Out of Re-Election Race
Just a few months before the presidential elections, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal, encouraging his supporters to back Vice President Kamala Harris instead.
Amid mounting pressure, Barack Obama commended Biden and referred to him as a “patriot of the highest order.”
“Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me,” the 2009 to 2017 president said in a statement. “Today, we’ve also been reminded—again—that he’s a patriot of the highest order.”
The former president also credited Biden for a government that deviated from Donald Trump’s “four years of chaos, falsehood and division.”
“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight,” Obama added. “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.”
Why Biden Dropped Out
Biden elected to drop out of the presidential race last Sunday, July 21, to rally support for his vice president, Kamala Harris. He wrote on X, “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President.”
He continued, “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.”
Hillary and Bill Clinton echoed Obama and Biden’s sentiment, saying that another Trump administration must be avoided. “He [Donald Trump] has promised to be a dictator on day one, and the recent ruling by a servile Supreme Court will only embolden him to further shred the Constitution,” they shared in a joint statement.
“Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her. America’s future depends on it. With love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfillment,” the Clintons added.
Celebrities also endorsed Biden’s decision. According to actor Mark Hamill, Biden “restored honesty, dignity & integrity” to the presidency “after 4 years of lies, crime, scandal & chaos.”
Other Hollywood VIPs who applauded Biden’s choice include Cher, Jon Stewart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Robert De Niro, John Legend, Ellen DeGeneres, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Kathy Griffin.
