On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced to most of his aides his decision to drop out of the reelection race after two agonizing days of studying polling data, which showed that his path to victory was nearing its end.
Late Saturday, after analyzing polling data, Biden changed his mind. On Sunday afternoon, he convened a conference call with top White House brass and his campaign team, and later announced the decision in a letter to all Americans.
And just the day before, Biden told many aides that he would continue his campaign to defeat Republican opponent Donald Trump in November.
According to sources, senior aides showed Biden internal polls, and the shocking news that came out Saturday night was that Biden was not only trailing in all six key swing states that could determine the outcome of the election, but also suffered defeats in places where Democrats had no plans to devote significant resources, such as Virginia and Minnesota.
Joe Biden's recent endorsement of Kamala Harris has significantly boosted her chances of becoming the Democratic nominee. Biden expressed full support for Harris, stating that choosing her as his vice president was the best decision he ever made. In response, Harris expressed gratitude for the endorsement and pledged to do everything in her power to secure the nomination.
With Biden's endorsement, many Democrats are likely to rally behind Harris to avoid uncertainty so close to the Democratic convention. Not only is she next in line in the constitutional order of succession, but bypassing the first black woman on a presidential ticket could have negative implications for the party. Additionally, Harris would gain immediate access to the substantial campaign funds of around $100 million that have been raised so far.
In a phone conversation with CBS News correspondent Robert Costa on Sunday, Trump said Biden's statement "a shock to the country." He argued that Biden was pressured to drop out of the race and "shouldn't have been our president."
He also said he wasn't sure if Vice President Kamala Harris would be the Democratic nominee, "I think she is no better than him. She could be far less competent, which is hard to believe," Trump told Costa. Polls also show Harris performing no better or worse against Trump than Biden did.
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