Biden Says He Dropped Out Due to Risk He’d Be ‘Distraction’
- President cites Democrats’ fears of down-ballot election hit
- Pelosi says she wanted ‘a better campaign’ that could win
President Joe Biden delivers a prime-time address to the nation from the Oval Office on July 24, explaining his decision to drop out of the 2024 race.
Photographer: Evan Vucci/AP Photo/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
President Joe Biden said he ended his reelection bid after hearing from congressional Democrats that he’d hurt their down-ballot chances in November, providing his fullest explanation yet of his decision to drop out.
Biden name-checked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a CBS News interview that hinted at the intra-party pressure to leave the race and his reluctance to do so. Pursuing a second-term bid would have been “a real distraction,” Biden said on CBS’s Sunday Morning.