It felt like the entire world stopped for a second on that Sunday afternoon. If you were scrolling through your phone on July 21, 2024, you probably remember exactly where you were when the notification popped up. Joe Biden, the sitting President of the United States, officially pulled the plug on his reelection bid. It wasn't exactly a shocker given the weeks of absolute chaos leading up to it, but seeing that letter posted on X (formerly Twitter) at 1:46 p.m. ET made it real.
The question of when did Biden leave the race isn't just about a calendar date, though. It's about a 24-day freefall that started with a disastrous debate in late June and ended with the most significant late-stage campaign withdrawal in modern American history.
The Moment Everything Changed: June 27, 2024
To understand why Biden walked away, you have to look at the debate in Atlanta. Honestly, it was a train wreck. For 90 minutes, voters watched a version of the President that seemed, well, struggling. He had a raspy voice—the White House later blamed a cold—and he famously lost his train of thought while talking about Medicare, saying, "we finally beat Medicare."
Panic didn't just trickle into the Democratic party; it flooded in. Within minutes, donors were texting reporters. Strategists were looking at the "double negative" voters—those 25% of Americans who didn't like Biden or Trump—and realizing the path to victory was vanishing.
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A Timeline of the Collapse
- June 27: The debate "disaster" happens.
- July 2: Representative Lloyd Doggett becomes the first sitting Democrat to publicly say Biden should step down.
- July 5: Biden tells George Stephanopoulos he’ll only quit if the "Lord Almighty" tells him to.
- July 11: The "President Putin" gaffe. During a high-stakes NATO summit, Biden accidentally introduces Zelenskyy as Putin. He also calls Kamala Harris "Vice President Trump."
- July 17: Biden tests positive for COVID-19 and retreats to his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
- July 21: The official announcement.
Why the Delay?
Biden is nothing if not stubborn. He spent decades trying to get to the Oval Office. You don't just hand over the keys because of one bad night. For weeks, his inner circle—led by Anita Dunn and Steve Ricchetti—insisted he was staying in. They tried to "run out the clock" until the virtual roll call for the nomination.
But the pressure from "The Big Three"—Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Hakeem Jeffries—became too much. Pelosi, especially, was reportedly instrumental behind the scenes. She didn't have to demand he leave; she just had to show him the polling data. And the data was brutal. In swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, he was sliding. Even safely "blue" states were suddenly looking competitive for Trump.
The End of an Era
When Biden finally posted that letter, he didn't just quit. He endorsed Kamala Harris almost immediately. That move was a masterstroke of political efficiency. It basically froze the field. Other potential heavyweights like Gavin Newsom or Gretchen Whitmer didn't have room to jump in without looking like they were attacking the first Black woman Vice President.
The numbers tell a story of a party that was ready to move on. According to Pew Research, Biden’s "mentally sharp" rating among voters had cratered to 24% by early July. When Harris took the mantle, the mood shifted from "resigned defeat" to "cautious hope."
What Most People Miss About the Exit
People focus on the age, but it was also about the "down-ballot" fear. Democratic candidates for the House and Senate were terrified that a sinking Biden would take them down, too. If the top of the ticket loses by 5 points, the people running for local seats usually lose by 6.
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By the time July 21 rolled around, Biden was isolated. He was in Delaware, recovering from COVID, while his closest allies were essentially telling the press he was done. It was a lonely way to end a 50-year career in public service.
The Legacy of the Decision
Whether you loved the guy or couldn't wait for him to leave, the timing of when did Biden leave the race changed the 2024 election forever. It forced the GOP to completely rewrite their playbook. They had spent years and millions of dollars attacking "Sleepy Joe," and suddenly, they were facing a much younger, more energetic opponent.
If you’re trying to wrap your head around the fallout of this historic move, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Check the Archive: Read the full text of Biden's July 21 letter. It’s a fascinating piece of political writing that focuses on "democracy" rather than "defeat."
- Watch the Oval Office Address: Biden gave a follow-up speech on July 24. It’s where he explicitly says he’s passing the torch to a new generation.
- Look at the Swing State Polls: Compare the polling from July 20 to August 20. The "Harris Bump" was a real statistical phenomenon that changed the map in the Sun Belt (Arizona, Georgia, Nevada).
Understanding this timeline helps make sense of how Donald Trump’s eventual return to the White House in 2025 was shaped by these few chaotic weeks in the summer of 2024. The decision to step down was arguably the most significant act of Biden’s presidency, for better or worse.