After weeks of mounting pressure, President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he will be retiring his reelection campaign, resulting in comments, kudos, condemnations, and conspiracy theories from both Left and Right. Despite claiming that it is “in the best interest of my party and the country” to discontinue his reelection efforts, Biden made no mention of resigning from office.

‘Resign Immediately’

“President Biden has finally accepted the fact that others have known for years; he is not mentally or physically fit for a second term in office,” said FRC Action President and former Congressman Jody Hice, in comments to The Washington Stand. He continued, “Unfortunately, he does not seem to grasp another obvious reality: that if he is not capable of serving a second term, neither is he capable of serving now. Too much is at stake, both domestically and internationally, for weak leadership in the White House.” Hice noted, “Now is the time to put politics aside and do the right thing. Decisions must be determined by what is best for the United State and the world as a whole, rather than the advancement of partisan politics.”

Family Research Council’s Senior Fellow for Regulatory Affairs Chris Gacek told The Washington Stand, “The morning after the debate, I said … ‘If he’s not mentally capable of running, how can he continue serving as president?’ We must ask who has been running this government for 3.5 years? Who now has authority over our nuclear arsenal? Some shadow government run by an Obama-Clinton cabal?” While Gacek noted that Biden’s admitted unfitness to run for reelection clearly indicates an equal unfitness to finish his term as president, he also observed that Vice President Kamala Harris “is manifestly unfit to be in charge of decisions related to war and peace for six months.” Gacek concluded, “The boundless cynicism of the Democrats has led us to the edge of an abyss.”

Numerous other conservatives and Republicans have issued calls for Biden to resign from office following his reelection announcement. In a statement on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump said, “Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve — And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement.” In a separate post, Trump asked, “Who is running our Country right now? It’s not Crooked Joe, he has no idea where he is. If he can’t run for office, he can’t run our Country!!!”

Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), quipped, “If you can’t run, you can’t serve. He should resign now.” Vance further asked, “If Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign, how can he justify remaining President? Not running for reelection would be a clear admission that President Trump was right all along about Biden not being mentally fit enough to serve as Commander-in-Chief.”

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) similarly called on Biden to leave the White House and stated, “If you can’t run a mere political campaign, you can’t be President.” Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) agreed in a statement, “For 3 ½ years, the corrupt media and the deep state bureaucracy have lied to the American people… Joe Biden was never mentally fit to be President.” He continued, “Democrats and the complicit media must be held accountable for this massive cover-up. If Joe Biden is unfit to run again, he is unfit to hold the nuclear codes. I join my colleagues in demanding that President Biden resign immediately.” Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) issued a statement saying, “Let me be clear, if Joe Biden can’t run for re-election, he is not capable of serving as president for the next six months and needs to resign today.”

“Finally, Joe Biden has realized what the rest of the American people and even his own party already knew — he is not only the wrong leader for America, but is wholly incapable of doing the job of President of the United States. But he didn’t go far enough,” observed Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). “If Joe is too weak to stay in the race for the presidency, he should resign as our Commander-in-Chief immediately.”

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) likewise called on Biden to “resign immediately,” saying, “Not fit to run for president, not fit to serve as president.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) declared, “If Biden is unfit to run FOR the presidency, he is unfit to run THE presidency. American security is at risk both at home and abroad. A change in the oval office is essential — immediately — to ensure the safety of Americans and the security of our country.”

‘Bloodless Coup’

The announcement published via Biden’s social media account came as a shock to many Americans, including his own campaign staff and White House aides. According to Politico, most Biden staffers found out that the president was retiring his campaign the same way that all other Americans did. “Sunday’s announcement stunned White House and campaign aides, who were blindsided by Biden’s decision to drop out. Many of them, including some senior aides, found out by reading the letter that Biden posted on X,” Politico wrote. “We’re all finding out by tweet,” one Democrat told Politico. “None of us understand what’s happening.”

Some of Biden’s most senior White House and campaign staff were reportedly informed of his decision only one minute before the announcement was made. Up until Saturday night, Biden was reportedly still convinced that he could win reelection in November, a defiant position he has maintained in the wake of his disastrous debate performance late last month. Even as late as Sunday morning, Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond insisted that the 81-year-old Democrat “made a decision and that decision is to accept the nomination and run for reelection, win reelection.”

But Biden reportedly discussed retiring his reelection campaign with chief strategist Mike Donilon, adviser Steve Ricchetti, White House deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, and the First Lady’s adviser Anthony Bernal. No one could present Biden with data even remotely suggesting that he could win in November. On Sunday afternoon, Biden reportedly informed Kamala Harris, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, and campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon that he would be dropping out of the race. However, the majority of Biden’s staffers and aides did not find out until after the decision had been announced. Senior Biden adviser Anita Dunn held an all-staff communications call shortly after the decision was made public, in which she directed White House and campaign staffers “to focus on defending and protecting Harris…”

For nearly a month, Democrats on Capitol Hill have been, both openly and secretly, pressuring Biden to stop campaigning, and many of them celebrated his decision Sunday. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who privately told congressional Democrats to call on Biden to drop out of the presidential race, called the president “one of the most consequential Presidents in American history” and “a patriotic American who has always put our country first.” She claimed, “God blessed America with Joe Biden’s greatness and goodness.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that Biden “has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he’s a truly amazing human being. His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first.” He praised the president as “a true patriot and great American” for bowing out of the race. Likewise, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) lauded Biden’s presidency and said that America is “forever grateful” for Biden’s “intellect, grace[,] and dignity.”

Conservatives, however, are questioning the abrupt nature of the decision, as well as the circumstances surrounding it. “The Democrats pick a candidate, Crooked Joe Biden, he loses the Debate badly, then panics, and makes mistake after mistake, is told he can’t win, and decide they will pick another candidate, probably Harris,” Trump summarized in a Truth Social post, after questioning whether Biden was even aware of the decision that was made. He continued, “They stole the race from Biden after he won it in the primaries — A First! These people are the real THREAT TO DEMOCRACY!”

“Why is the White House Chief of Staff calling cabinet officials about this purported decision by Biden, and not Biden himself? This looks like a bloodless coup. Does the president know he’s not running for election? Does he know he’s still running the country? Has anyone even seen him today?” asked Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) on social media. Collins also asked, “Why didn’t the President make the announcement to camera himself? Who wrote the letter and hit send on the tweet? Did they tell him beforehand?”

Federalist Co-Founder and CEO Sean Davis observed, “Democrats are rigging their own election. Does anyone still believe they didn’t rig the 2020 election?” Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts commented, “The American people deserve better than palace coups, incompetent leaders, and disastrous policies.” Investigative reporter and political commentator Mike Cernovich posited, “It’s well within the realm of possibility, and indeed is more likely than not to be the case, that Joe Biden has no idea he resigned until a staffer posted the letter. There’s a reason he didn’t make the announcement via a press conference.”

Others noted that the letter posted to Biden’s social media account did not appear on the White House letterhead, did not contain the presidential seal, and does not appear on the White House website’s list of statements and press releases. The signature on the letter has also been questioned and compared to Biden’s signature on other letters issued by the White House. Also of note, the letter posted to Biden’s social media did not contain any endorsement of Harris; the endorsement was issued afterwards in a separate social media post.

Kamala Ascendant

According to an Axios report, Biden was most reluctant to drop out of the presidential race because he did not believe his vice president could face and defeat Trump. However, the president’s social media account still endorsed her as the Democratic Party’s nominee, and other Democrats quickly followed suit. Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, endorsed Harris and pledged to “do whatever we can to support her.” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), both of whom have been touted in the past as possible replacements for Biden, were also quick to endorse Harris.

Just weeks after ferociously backing Biden’s continued presidential bid, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) fell in line behind Harris, who she predicted “will be the next President of the United States.” The New York congresswoman’s fellow Squad members — Representatives Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) — did likewise. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) has also backed the vice president and is calling on Democratic delegates to rally behind Harris at next month’s Democratic convention. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D), who is being touted as a potential Harris running mate, also enthusiastically backed the vice president.

Politico reported that nearly all state Democratic parties have endorsed Harris and, according to The New York Times, donors are rallying behind her campaign. One of those donors is Alex Soros, son of billionaire George Soros and chairman of the Open Society Foundations.

However, several major players have yet to jump aboard the Kamala express. In her response to Biden dropping out of the race, Pelosi made no mention of Harris or her endorsement. Previously, The New York Times reported that the former House speaker did not want to simply hand Harris the nomination, preferring instead an “open” and “competitive” nomination process. Former President Barack Obama has also refused to endorse Harris. In a lengthy statement praising Biden for retiring his campaign, Obama said that Democrats “will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead” and anticipated that the upcoming Democratic Convention will yield “an outstanding nominee,” although he did not name Harris.

Nevertheless, Harris is acting quickly. On Sunday, within hours of Biden dropping out of the race, Harris filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to rename the campaign “Harris for President.” She is hoping to inherit the nearly $95 million campaign war chest left behind by Biden, but there are legal questions surrounding the process. FEC chairman Sean Cooksey has indicated that campaign contributions may have to be “returned or refunded,” according to the Code of Federal Regulations. However, the stipulation does allow for campaign money to be “redesignated” or “reattributed.”

Harris has already begun phoning top Democrats to consolidate support ahead of the nomination process, but Biden’s former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki predicted that the nomination process would be more for show than anything else. “Now the DNC and the Democratic Party have to run, they’re going to run a process is my understanding, and the process, the goal of it, is to make the Vice President look strong and be strong at the end of the process,” Psaki explained.

Conservatives and Republicans have already begun campaigning against Harris. A Trump-allied political action committee (PAC) launched an ad exposing Harris for covering up Biden’s mental and cognitive decline — the very reason he was pressured to retire his campaign. “Kamala was in on it,” the ad says while playing audio clips of Harris praising Biden’s health over video footage of the President collapsing on stage, wandering aimlessly, and tripping up stairs.

“Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way,” J.D. Vance said on social media. “Over the last four years she co-signed Biden’s open border and green scam policies that drove up the cost of housing and groceries. She owns all of these failures, and she lied for nearly four years about Biden’s mental capacity — saddling the nation with a president who can’t do the job.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) stated, “Kamala Harris was complicit in a massive coverup to hide and deny the fact that Joe Biden was not capable of discharging the duties of the office. She also was the border czar during the worst border crisis in American history.” He further quipped, “Democrats are just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.” Greg Abbott, who has opposed much of the Biden-Harris administration’s border policy, commented, “Joe Biden has now endorsed and fully supports his ‘Border Czar’ Kamala Harris to be the Democrat candidate for president. I think I will need to triple the border wall, razor wire barriers and National Guard on the border.”

Weeks ago, after Biden’s disastrous debate performance, video surfaced of Trump talking to attendants at a golf course and predicting that Biden would “quit.” He commented, “And that means we’ve got Kamala, I think she’s gonna be better. She’s so bad, she’s so pathetic…” Referring to Biden, Trump said, “He’s probably quitting. We’ll keep knocking them out, right?”