Today in one sentence: Following intense pressure from nearly 40 Democratic members of Congress to withdraw from the race after his shaky June debate performance, Biden ended his presidential re-election campaign and endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominee; and House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Biden to resign as president after ending his campaign.

1/ Following intense pressure from nearly 40 Democratic members of Congress to withdraw from the race after his shaky June debate performance, Biden ended his presidential re-election campaign and endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominee. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a statement, offering his “full support and endorsement” to Harris. “It’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.” Biden is the first president in more than half a century not to seek reelection, and is the first sitting president and presumptive nominee to drop out of the race so late in the election cycle – four months before Election Day and less than a month before the Democratic National Convention, set to start Aug. 19. The 81-year-old exits the race days after Republicans formally nominated Trump for the third time. With the primaries over, the nomination is no longer in the hands of voters, but instead left to the 3,939 delegates who will be free to support another candidate at the Democrats’ national party convention next month despite Biden’s endorsement of Harris as his successor. Harris thanked Biden for his leadership, and said her “intention is to earn and win” the Democratic presidential nomination. Recent polls indicate that Harris is performing at or slightly better than Biden in a head-to-head matchup against Trump. Additionally, Harris is more competitive than Biden in Pennsylvania and Virginia, two crucial swing states for Democrats. Internal polls also reveal that Harris would boost Democratic enthusiasm more effectively and be more beneficial for down-ballot races. Trump, meanwhile, used the moment to raise money by falsely claiming that Biden was the “Worst President, by far, in the History of our Nation,” suggesting that Biden has “done everything possible to destroy our Country” and “was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was!” Biden, who continues to recover from Covid-19 at his beach house in Delaware, said he’d “speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.” Biden also said he plans to serve out the remainder of his term, which ends at noon ET on Jan. 20, 2025. (Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Bloomberg / Politico / CNN / CNBC / NPR / CBS News / ABC News / Axios / Wall Street Journal)

  • LIVE BlOGS: New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CBS News / ABC News / The Guardian

  • READ: Biden’s Letter Withdrawing From the Race.

  • TIMELINE: Key moments that led to Biden’s historic withdrawal.

  • 📌 Day 1256: The first presidential debate between the two oldest candidates to ever seek the White House was an embarrassment for America – and a disaster for Biden. Minutes into the debate, Biden, 81, appeared unsteady as he frequently stumbled over his words, cited incorrect facts and figures, and often paused to correct phrases mid-sentence as part of his meandering and – at times – unintelligible delivery. At one point, Biden drifted from taxes to child care to health care to “Covid” before concluding that he “finally beat Medicare.” Minutes later, after Biden trailed off again, Trump responded: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said, either.” When he wasn’t speaking, Biden stood slack-jawed and stared off into the distance. Following the debate, Biden said he thought he “did well” and that “it’s hard to debate a liar.” Later, Biden acknowledged his poor debate performance and age, saying: “I’m not a young man, to state the obvious. I don’t walk as easy as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong.” His campaign attributed his hoarse voice and slow start to “a cold.” Publicly and privately, some Democrats have started questioning whether the party could or should replace Biden as their presidential nominee. Trump, 78, meanwhile, was himself: incoherent and deranged. The convicted felon refused to condemn the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, refused say whether he’d accept the results of the election if he loses, repeated his lies about fraud in the 2020 election, claimed liberal doctors are killing newborn babies, mused about when “we had H20” and how his environmental “numbers” were the “best ever,” attacked asylum seekers and other immigrants, and continuously offered strings of falsehoods and exaggerations that had little or no basis in fact instead of answering the questions from moderators. In the sharpest exchanges of the night, Biden called Trump a “convicted felon” with the “morals of an alley cat,” and “such a whiner,” while Trump claimed Biden’s performance in office has been “absolutely criminal,” and falsely alleged that Biden “gets paid by China,” and is a “Manchurian candidate.” Trump added: “He’s not equipped to be president. You know it and I know it. It’s ridiculous. […] We shouldn’t be having a debate about it. There’s nothing to debate.” The second and last debate is schedule for Sept. 10. (Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg Associated Press / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Politico)

  • ✏️ Biden endorses Kamala Harris: What to know about her presidential bid. “Harris’ emergence as the leading contender weeks before the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19 has opened the door to heightened scrutiny from voters, delegates and members of the party who now must decide whether the vice president is the strongest opponent to take on former President Trump.” (Axios)

  • ✏️ Biden just quit the race and endorsed Kamala Harris. What happens now? (Vox)

  • ✏️ Who will replace Joe Biden as presidential nominee? Kamala Harris does best against Trump in polls. “In a potential matchup between Harris and former President Donald Trump, Harris and Trump were nearly tied with 42% supporting her and 43% supporting the former president, according to a Ipsos poll released earlier this month.” (ABC News)

  • ✏️ Who could actually replace Biden? Here are the options. (Politico)

  • ✏️ How Democrats would pick a new candidate, step by step. “Delegates will choose a new nominee now that President Biden has stepped aside, possibly at an open convention in August.” (Washington Post)

  • ✏️ How Will Democrats Replace Biden at the Top of the Presidential Ticket? “The process is complicated and opens the door to political upheaval between now and August, when Democratic delegates will gather at their convention to vote for a nominee.” (New York Times)

  • ✏️ The tragedy and resilience of Joe Biden: a look back at a life in politics. “The oldest-ever American president’s political career began in 1972 and culminates as he yields to pressure to step aside.” (The Guardian)

  • ✏️ Biden Withdraws: The Final Twist in a Surprisingly Great Presidency. “Many long doubted Biden – who turned out to be a transformative president.” (New Republic)

  • ✏️ Joe Biden Made the Right Choice. “In his painful decision to withdraw from the race, the president put his country first.” (The Atlantic)

2/ House Speaker Mike Johnson called on Biden to resign as president after ending his campaign. “If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President,” Johnson said. “He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.” Johnson suggested that replacing Biden is not only “wrong,” but “unlawful” because “Every state has its own system, and in some of these, it’s not possible to simply just switch out a candidate.” Biden, however, has not yet been formally nominated to be the Democratic presidential candidate and won’t be until the delegates vote at the Democratic National Convention. Sen. Steve Daines, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, also called on Biden to resign from office, saying, “It is out of concern for our country’s national security that I am formally calling on President Biden to resign from office.” (ABC News / Politico /NBC News)

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 🇮🇱 July 24: Netanyahu addresses joint session of Congress.
    🫏 Aug. 1-7: Democratic virtual roll call vote to formally nominate its presidential candidate.
    🫏 Aug. 19-22: Democratic National Convention.
    ⛔️ Sept. 2: Labor Day – No WTFJHT.
    📺 Sept. 10: Scheduled presidential debate.
    ⚖️ Sept. 18: Trump is sentenced.
    📆 Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote in some states.
    ⛔️ Oct. 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day – No WTFJHT.
    🗳️ Nov. 5: Presidential Election.

Two years ago today: Day 548: "Folks, I'm doing great."
Three years ago today: Day 183: "Extremely enthusiastic."