In a single, short post on X, President Joe Biden announced Sunday he would be dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.
Calls for Biden to end his reelection campaign intensified after his poor debate performance last month. Still, many Republicans are saying the president is being unceremoniously forced out by his own party after being duly selected by Democratic voters as their 2024 candidate.
"Democrat voters — including here in Alabama — selected Joe Biden as their nominee. When it became clear he could not win reelection, he was bullied out by his own party," Gov. Kay Ivey said Sunday on X. "Regardless of their nominee, we need Donald Trump back in the White House. November 5 can't come soon enough!"
U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) questioned whether Biden could finish his term, given his admitted diminished capacity.
"The Democratic Party has now succeeded in pushing Joe Biden out of the presidential race. It was evident well before the debate with Donald Trump that Biden's mental acuity was severely diminished, but the Biden White House and the Democrats covered it up. The question now is whether or not he has the ability to continue to serve as President," said Palmer.
"What the American people should clearly understand is that it doesn't matter who the Democrats choose because whoever they choose will continue to push policies that will keep the cost of living too high, leave our border open, and make our communities less safe. They may change the person on the Democratic ticket, but the policies will not change."
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) echoed the Democratic Party line, praising Biden's "consequential" time in office while supporting Harris in her presidential bid.
"I plan to do everything in my power, from now until November, to make Kamala Harris the next President of the United States of America," Sewell said.
Harris could face challenges from other Democratic hopefuls during an open convention in August.
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