Biden Withdraws from Race, Paving the Way for Harris to Face Trump
After President Joe Biden's debate loss, there were calls within his party for him to withdraw from the presidential race. Ultimately, he chose to announce his exit from the presidential race on the 21st in the U.S. (early morning of the 22nd in Taiwan), endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. Biden stated that this decision was the "best choice" for the Democratic Party and the United States, and that he would now focus entirely on fulfilling his duties as President.
Facing overwhelming pressure from within his party, Biden announced his withdrawal in a statement on the morning of the 21st, fully supporting Vice President Kamala Harris to run for president on behalf of the Democratic Party, sending shockwaves through the U.S. political scene. Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump wasted no time seizing the opportunity, mocking Harris as a "joke" and claiming it would be easier to defeat her than Biden. He also taunted, "Biden will forget he withdrew by tomorrow morning!" and called for Biden to step down immediately.
Currently, at least 60 Democratic House members, 27 Senators, and 6 governors have expressed their support for Harris as the party's presidential candidate. Additionally, prominent figures such as Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former Secretary of State John Kerry are also backing Harris. Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, who had previously urged Biden to withdraw, praised Biden for leading the U.S. out of the COVID-19 pandemic and saving the economy, calling him one of the greatest presidents of modern times who will be remembered in history. He also expressed his full support for Harris's presidential campaign. Ken Martin, President of the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC), stated that after Biden's announcement, the chairs of all 50 states held a phone meeting and unanimously supported Harris's candidacy.
Not yet publicly supporting Harris are Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic leadership member and Majority Whip Dick Durbin, as well as two Democratic heavyweights, former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi, who was among those urging Biden to withdraw, only stated that the nominee should be chosen through an open process. The Democratic Party plans to conduct an online vote in early August to finalize the nominee.
Following Biden's announcement, Democratic fundraising calls have not stopped. The New York Times reported that from around 1 p.m. Eastern Time on the 21st, when Biden announced his withdrawal, to 10 p.m. that night, more than $50 million (about NT$1.6 billion) had been raised. This marked the highest single-day donation amount for the Democratic Party since 2020 and the third highest single-day online donation amount in history, with expectations for further records. Before Biden's withdrawal, the average hourly donations were less than $200,000 (about NT$6.5 million), which soared to a maximum of $11.5 million (about NT$377 million) per hour, demonstrating Harris's significant fundraising power.
Kamala Harris, the first Black female Vice President, is only 1% behind Trump in the polls. If she successfully represents the Democratic Party and defeats Trump, she would become the first African American and South Asian female President in U.S. history, making the November 5th U.S. presidential election a global focal point.
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