US Presidential Election 2024: Is Joe Biden planning not to contest the upcoming election?

US President Joe Biden is considering to end his campaign ahead of the US Presidential Election in 2024 and make way for another candidate from the Democratic Party. This is according to a report in The New York Times. It has been reported that the president is aware of the political realities and may want to step down. He has reportedly confided in private to some of his trusted aides. In public, he is brazening it out and refusing to step down. He has a series of political campaigns and a television interview planned during the weekend. The next few weeks will be critical for Biden as he tries to gain some lost territory.

Political realities:

In the latest survey conducted by Siena College, Trump has a six-percentage point lead over Biden after the first presidential debate. Biden is believed to have told his aides that if the political situation remains the same and does not improve in the coming weeks, he may step down from the presidential race. Earlier before the debate, Trump had a marginal lead over Biden with a three-percentage point lead. This has now widened further.

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Many of the Democrats have called for Biden’s replacement and it was earlier reported that some of the donors have given a two week grace period for Biden to recover from the loss and surge ahead in the national surveys.

Biden confident about his campaign:

In an email to the donors, Biden acknowledged that the debate was particularly bad. However, he added that he is confident of getting re-elected and assured the donors and his supporters that the Democrats will recover in a short period of time. He said that he is running. This clarification came after news reports indicated that the president was stepping down and may not contest the upcoming presidential election.

Biden’s upcoming campaign:

The coming weekend will be a busy time for Biden as he plans to launch a series of campaign related activities. Even before the weekend, the White House will be organizing a barbeque get together and fireworks to mark the American Independence Day on July 4. More than 1000 visitors have been invited to participate in this event.

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On Wednesday, he also met all the Democrat Governors and Congressmen and had a frank exchange of views on the current political campaign. This included some potential replacements including the Governor of California Gavin Newsom who have fully endorsed Biden’s re-election bid. During the weekend, Biden will be campaigning in the two key swing states of Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. His interview with the ABC News will also be aired.

FAQs

Has any US President not accepted a presidential nomination from his party for a re-election campaign?
In 1968, Lyndon B Johnson made a surprise announcement during a speech from the Oval Office saying that he will not be contesting the presidential election. He attributed this to the then Vietnam war. He said he had to focus on administrative and defense related issues rather than conduct an election campaign.

Has any US President lost an election while contesting for a second term and then made a comeback?
This question assumes significance with Donald Trump who is seeking to re-enter the White House. Trump won the election in 2016 but lost the election in 2020. He is seeking to re-enter the White House in 2024. The only other candidate who has won the election in this manner is Grover Cleveland who served as the US President from 1884-1888. He lost the electoral college vote in 1888 and won the election in 1892.