Honestly, if you’d asked most political insiders in early June whether Joe Biden would actually step aside, they’d have probably laughed. He’s a guy who built his entire identity on getting back up when the world knocks him down. But then came July 21, 2024. A Sunday afternoon. A single letter posted to social media changed everything.
It wasn’t just one thing. It was a slow-motion car crash that suddenly hit a wall.
The Night Everything Changed
Let's be real: the June 27 debate was the beginning of the end. People had been whispering about Biden’s age for years—voters told pollsters they were worried, and critics pointed to every stumble—but the White House dismissed it as "cheap fakes" or just Joe being Joe.
Then the cameras turned on in Atlanta.
Biden looked frail. He sounded hoarse. At one point, he froze, staring into the middle distance while trying to answer a question about the national debt. He ended a sentence by saying, "We finally beat Medicare," which... obviously wasn't the plan. It wasn't just a "bad night." It was a moment that confirmed the loudest fears of his own supporters.
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Why did Biden drop out of the presidential election after insisting he wouldn't?
For three weeks after that debate, Biden was defiant. He went on ABC News and told George Stephanopoulos that only "Lord Almighty" could get him to quit. He did rallies. He held a high-stakes press conference at the NATO summit where he accidentally called Zelenskyy "President Putin" and referred to Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump."
Kinda painful to watch, right?
While he was trying to prove he was fine, the "dam" was breaking behind the scenes. Here is what actually pushed him over the edge:
- The Big Names: It wasn't just random pundits. Heavy hitters like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer reportedly had private, blunt conversations with him. Even George Clooney—a massive donor—wrote an op-ed in The New York Times saying the Joe Biden he saw at a recent fundraiser wasn't the Joe Biden of 2020.
- The Cold, Hard Numbers: Internal polling was brutal. It wasn't just that he was losing to Trump; it was that he was losing in states that should have been safe, like Virginia or New Mexico. Democrats were terrified he would take the whole party down with him, losing the House and Senate in a "red wave."
- The Money: Major donors started freezing their checks. You can't run a billion-dollar campaign on "good vibes" alone. When the cash stops flowing, the engine dies.
The COVID Factor and the Final Call
While all this was swirling, Biden caught COVID-19. He had to retreat to his beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It gave him space. Away from the bubble of the West Wing, huddling with a tiny circle of family and his closest long-time advisors like Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, he looked at the data.
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The data said he couldn't win.
He didn't want to go. He’s spent 50 years in politics. This was his life's work. But in his letter, he basically said he realized that "the defense of democracy" was more important than his own ambition. He realized that if he stayed in, the entire election would be a referendum on his health rather than a choice between two visions for the country.
What Most People Get Wrong
Some folks think this was a "coup." It wasn't. There’s no mechanism in the Democratic Party to just "fire" a nominee who won the primaries. He had the delegates. He had the legal right to stay. He chose to leave because the pressure became a physical weight.
Endorsing Kamala Harris was his final "chess move." By doing it 30 minutes after his withdrawal letter, he stopped a chaotic "open convention" before it could start. He handed her the keys to the campaign's $100 million war chest—money that only she, as his running mate, could legally access easily.
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The Aftermath
The minute he dropped out, the energy shifted. In the first 24 hours after Harris took the mantle, the campaign raised $81 million from small-dollar donors. It was a literal explosion of relief from a base that had been holding its breath for a month.
Biden stayed in the Oval Office to finish his term, focusing on a ceasefire in Gaza and domestic issues, but the "torch" he talked about for years was finally passed.
If you're looking to understand the long-term impact of this move, keep an eye on how future parties handle aging incumbents. This set a massive precedent: the "Blue Wall" and party unity eventually mattered more than the sitting President's desire to keep the job.
Next Steps for Staying Informed:
Check the official White House archives for the full text of Biden's July 21 letter to understand the specific language he used to frame his legacy. You should also look into the Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings from July 2024 to see the record-breaking donor surge that followed his exit, as this illustrates the financial shift that redefined the race.