Biden made a short 15-minute speech to the nation from the Oval Office, his first address since abandoning his re-election effort. He used the time to tout what he claims have been "successes" since becoming president, but also said it was time for him to "pass the torch to a new generation."
Biden: "I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merited a second term, but nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy, and that includes personal ambition."
Ari Fleischer was press secretary for former President George W. Bush. "President Biden, who didn't even explain why he dropped out, should simply say 'I dropped out because I couldn't win. Nothing is more important than winning, so therefore I want Kamala Harris to win,'" Fleischer told Fox News Channel on Thursday. "That's what this is all about."
Fleischer went on to argue that Biden was "pressured out by the Democratic power brokers," adding they loved him until they concluded they could no longer use Biden.
"Once it was clear that he was likely going to lose, they threw him overboard so fast; and now Kamala Harris has given them a little bit of a spark," said Fleischer. "She's still losing to Donald Trump, but she at least is giving them hope – and that's what the Democrats wanted."
Trump was leading Harris anywhere from 1 to 7 points in various polls on Thursday, July 25, 2024. However, Reuters/Ipsos and ABC News/Washington Post polls had Harris with a 2-point lead over Trump. (Click on chart for larger image)
"So, I don't what to hear these high-grounded arguments that this is for democracy," added Fleischer. "This was a power move engineered by the Democrats to dump Biden, [to] replace him with anybody – and that's what they've done."
Yep, they dumped him
A Wisconsin congressman concurs with Fleischer. "He's been dumped by the leadership of the Democrat Party," said Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin. "The couple of grand poohbahs who are in the proverbial smoke-filled rooms [have] decided 'You get to go overboard now because we're not going to win an election with you.'"
Reacting to Biden's Wednesday evening address, Tiffany described Biden as an "afterthought" for the American people.
"He's virtually irrelevant at this point," the congressman told American Family Radio on Thursday. "People know that he's not running the country. That fateful night on June 27 [during the debate with Trump], the American people saw that he's not running the country … and so he becomes almost irrelevant."
And Biden revealed another clue about his loyalty, according to Tiffany.
"In his statement on X a few days ago, when he said [he] will not be running for president – if you notice, he said, I'm doing this for party and country and he said 'party' first. That is exactly how these people think. You know he didn't write that X post; he did not write that. And that is how those people think: It is all about the Democrat Party first."
The direct quote from Biden's statement on X was:
"I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."
