President Joe Biden did not end his 2024 re-election campaign over the weekend because of his health, the top White House spokesperson said on Wednesday.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed the idea during a press briefing hours before Biden is expected to deliver an address to the nation.
Allies had been pressuring Biden, 81, to step aside after a fumbling debate performance late last month spurred concerns about his mental acuity and electability.
Biden exiting the race has “nothing to do with his health,” Jean-Pierre said. She said Biden “is going to speak to this directly to the American people, tonight, in primetime.”
Jean-Pierre said the decision to bow out came “in a very short period of time” on Sunday afternoon after Biden met with “a small group of advisors” and his family.
“At 1:45, he got on a phone with some of his assistants to the president — some advisers — he let them know and then minutes later, a letter went out,” she added.
Biden said in a letter he believed it was “in the best interest of my party and the country” to bow out and “focus” on fulfilling his duties as president for the rest of his term.
Jean-Pierre said that she thinks “it speaks to how honorable this president is — how selfless this president is that he was able to make this decision.”
Biden “didn’t step down from campaigning or from running because he didn’t believe he could serve in a second term,” the press secretary said.
Jean-Pierre also rejected talks about how Biden should consider resigning from office. “We believe any suggestion of that note is ridiculous. It is not what we believe,” she said.
Shortly after saying he was no longer seeking a second term, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.
Harris has gathered the support of enough delegates to win the nomination, although the process remains open and another challenger could emerge before voting begins.
The decision to bow out followed the White House saying last week that Biden tested positive for COVID and would cut short a campaign swing out West.
Biden spent days isolating in Delaware, during which time he ended his campaign — marking a reversal from his prior stated commitment to staying in the race.
The president returned to the White House on Tuesday, when his doctor said Biden’s COVID symptoms had “resolved,” and he shared plans to deliver a prime-time address.
“Tomorrow evening at 8 PM ET, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people,” Biden said in a post to X.
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