Donald Trump promptly reacted to President Joe Biden‘s decision to step down from the upcoming election. In a statement to NBC News on Sunday, July 21, the 78-year-old said that Biden, 81, “should never have been [in office] in the first place.”
“There has never been a president who has done such damage to our country, from energy independence to letting in millions and millions of illegal immigrants,” Trump told the outlet in his statement. “He should have stayed in his basement.”
Trump followed up by releasing a statement via Truth Social, in which he called Biden “crooked Joe” and “the worst president, by far, in the history of our nation.”
“He was not fit to serve from the very beginning, but the people around him lied to America about his complete and total mental, physical, and cognitive demise,” Trump alleged. “Whoever the Left puts up now will just be more of the same. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race comes weeks after multiple Democrats publicly called on him to step down. However, the long-time politician insisted he had no intention of dropping out. Following a weak debate against Trump in June, the White House defended Biden’s position in the race. Moreover, the president appeared in multiple televised interviews and press conferences to prove he was ready for another presidential term. After Trump was shot during a rally in Pennsylvania, Biden spoke to the public and pointed out that political divisions should not incite violence.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Despite his initial stance, Biden chose to step down from the presidential race in a public letter.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President,” Biden wrote in his letter. “And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
While noting he will “speak to the nation later this week in more detail about [his] decision,” Biden added that he wanted to thank Vice President Kamala Harris “for being an extraordinary partner in all this work.”
“And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me,” he concluded. “I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
