Over the past several weeks, since the first presidential debate, the chorus of voices calling for Joe Biden to resign from the Democratic nomination grew louder. Nearly three dozen Democrats in Congress and five senators publicly called on Biden to bow out, as well as private warnings about the impact on the party from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, according to several people familiar with the sensitive internal matters.
Now that Mr. Biden has stepped down and endorsed vice-president Kamala Harris, many people – including those who have spoken out recently – are putting out statements to honour his years of service to America and comment on his decision.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Biden was a “great man” and a “true friend.”
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton said, on behalf of himself and wife Hillary Clinton, that Biden has “advanced our founders’ charge to build a more perfect union.” They also endorsed Senator Harris.
Bernie Sanders, who wrote an op-ed in the New York Times in mid-July saying he would do all he could to help Biden become president again, called the president “the most pro-working class president in modern American history.”
Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House who was in favour of Biden dropping out, according to sources, gave “love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of America.”
Barack Obama, who Biden served as vice-president for both of his terms, put out a lengthy statement about his years of service to his country, noting “For [Joe] to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life.” Obama did not mention vice president Harris in his statement.
Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania whose name has been on the longlist of those who may vie for the Democratic nomination, called Biden a patriot and “one of the most consequential presidents in modern history.”
Pete Buttigieg, the Secretary of Transportation and who ran in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, said Biden has “earned his place among the best and most consequential presidents in American history.”
New York Senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Biden a “great president” and said “his decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is one of the names that Democrats have floated as a potential successor to Biden. On X, she said she will continue to do “everything she can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump.”
Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California and who has also been considered to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket, said that Biden was an “extraordinary, history-making president – a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that Biden led the country with “intellect, grace and dignity.”
David L. Cohen, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, said he was “enormously proud” of Biden leadership in “assembling a coalition of the world’s leading democracies to protect and preserve democratic values – and of his leadership in restoring confidence and trust in the United States globally.”
Internationally, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk talked about Biden’s decision-making abilities and newly-elected U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he looks forward to working with Biden during the remainder of his presidency. Former U.K. prime minister Rishi Sunak wrote of the two countries’ achievements together.
With files from Reuters