2024 election updates: Manchin the latest to call on Biden to end reelection bid

More Democrats called for Biden to bow out of the race.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, and Leah Sarnoff
Last Updated: July 21, 2024, 9:06 AM EDT

President Joe Biden faced a critical point in his reelection bid as Democratic calls for him to exit the 2024 race continued to mount despite his efforts to shut them down.

A poor debate performance against Donald Trump in June reignited questions about Biden's age and fitness to carry out his campaign and serve another four years. While Biden defiantly insisted he was staying the course, he later announced on July 21 that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

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Jul 11, 2024, 9:08 PM EDT

Democratic Rep. Jim Himes calls on Biden to 'step away' after NATO press conference

Following Biden's press conference, Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jim Himes released a statement calling on Biden to "step away from the presidential campaign."

PHOTO: Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) questions US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as they testify during a House Financial Services Committee hearing in the US Capitol in Washington,DC on Sept. 22, 2020.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) questions US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as they testify during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Treasury Department's and Federal Reserve's Pandemic Response" in the US Capitol in Washington,DC on Sept. 22, 2020.
Joshua Roberts/POOL/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

Himes serves as the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

"The 2024 election will define the future of American democracy, and we must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump's MAGA authoritarianism," Himes said.

Jul 11, 2024, 9:05 PM EDT

Biden ends 50-minute q and a with a shot at Trump

Biden ended his unscripted q and a portion of his news conference, which lasted 50 minutes, taking a question about a Truth Social post made by Trump during the press conference.

The former president mocked Biden's age and memory for a gaffe early on where he said Vice President Trump instead of Harris.

President Joe Biden smiles as he speaks during a press conference at the close of the 75th NATO Summit in Washington, July 11, 2024.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

When asked how he would combat that criticism, Biden smiled and said "Listen to him," before walking off the stage.

Later, Biden's campaign posted a screenshot of Trump's post on X and with the statement "By the way: Yes, I know the difference. One’s a prosecutor, and the other’s a felon."

Jul 11, 2024, 9:04 PM EDT

Biden: No poll says there's 'no way' he can win

Toward the end of the presser, when asked if he would reconsider staying in the race if his team showed him data that showed Vice President Kamala Harris would fare better against Trump, Biden said: "No, unless they came back and said, There is no way you could win."

He continued in a whisper, "No one’s saying that. No poll says that."

Jul 11, 2024, 8:33 PM EDT

Biden cedes 'others could beat Trump' but believes he's most qualified

"I think I am the best qualified to win," Biden said as his news conference neared an end. "But there are other people who could beat Trump, too."

"But it would be hard to start from scratch," he quickly added. "We talk about money raised. We are not doing bad. We've got about $220 million in the bank. We are doing well."

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