Biden bows out, intrigue persists Democratic drama

July 21 can be considered the last day in John Biden's political career. The sitting President of the United States announced his withdrawal from the election race in favour of Vice President Kamala Harris. This is the first such case in the history of the United States since 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson refused to run for a second term in light of the unsuccessful Vietnam War for America.

The piquancy of the situation lay in the fact that on the morning of July 20, Biden's campaign representative, Cedric Richmond, said in an interview with CBS that the current occupant of the White House was determined to run for re-election and was fully in control of the Democratic Party. But by the evening, the situation had changed by 180 degrees.

The physical condition of the elderly U.S. leader had already raised questions, but after the debates between Biden and Trump at the end of June, it became clear that the current president was not capable of winning the fall elections. And, apparently, the group of Democrats backing Joe Biden realized that, unlike the "Yeltsin Project" in 1996, the "Biden Project" in 2024 was doomed to fail.

Information about internal disagreements and conflicts within the Democratic Party, the "bulldog fight under the carpet," as Winston Churchill put it, began to leak more and more into the press. According to the New York Times, "[Biden] considers Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, the main instigator, but is irritated at Mr. Obama as well, seeing him as a puppet master behind the scenes." According to the newspaper, a rift between Biden and Obama appeared back in 2016 when the latter discouraged the current Oval Office occupant from running for president. As a result, Hillary Clinton represented the Democrats in the election and lost to Donald Trump.

The Washington Post wrote that dozens of congressmen, including thirty-seven Democrats, publicly called on Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, and sponsors refused to allocate $90 million to finance the Democratic Party's campaign as long as the candidate was the 81-year-old ailing elder. The piquancy of the situation lies in the fact that Biden's departure and his replacement by Kamala Harris bypassed democratic procedures, being purely an apparatus decision.

As for the new Democratic presidential candidate, according to a poll conducted by the American publication Politico in July of this year, Kamala Harris could defeat Donald Trump by a narrow margin (42% to 41% of those polled). She is associated with the so-called "progressive" wing of the Democratic Party, advocating for the abolition of the death penalty, environmental protection, women's rights, and LGBTQ rights. At the same time, like most Democrats, the current U.S. vice president will pursue a tough policy on the international stage. She unconditionally supports Zelensky's government in Kyiv, accuses China of "intimidating" its neighbours, and supports NATO and Israel. In Russia, Kamala Harris is on a permanent sanctions list.

If the vice president wins the election, Kamala Harris will become the first African American woman and the first American of Asian descent to hold the country's highest office. It is also worth noting that the average age of the current American elite has long surpassed that of Brezhnev's "gerontocracy." Harris is a "young and dynamic" politician – she is only 59 years old.

However, the Wall Street Journal writes: " It isn’t clear that Harris, as her party’s presidential nominee, would satisfy the many Americans who say they are looking for an alternative to Biden and Trump. Several surveys earlier this year and last year found Harris performing about the same as Biden when tested against Trump."

Experts note that the current U.S. election resembles early elections in Europe—a 106-day sprint rather than a long American marathon. On one hand, the limited timeframe will amplify the impact of any mistakes Harris may make, but, on the other hand, the number of such mistakes could be minimized.

At the same time, economists, financiers, and investors around the world are trying to understand how Biden's decision to exit the race will affect the dollar's exchange rate and the securities markets. After the disappointing debates for the Democratic leader last month, investors began preparing for a Republican victory, and now, with the Democratic Party changing horses midstream, traders are revising their strategies, leading to expectations of increased market volatility.

Global leaders generally supported the current U.S. president's decision not to run for a new term. Moreover, the promptness with which presidents and prime ministers responded to Biden's departure suggests that the texts of the relevant press releases were prepared in advance.

As for Donald Trump, he issued a statement calling for Biden's immediate resignation: " 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. All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t - And now, look what he’s done to our Country, with millions of people coming across our Border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists. We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

In response, Erin Wilson, the vice president’s chief of staff, stated that Kamala Harris will focus her campaign on Donald Trump’s advanced age (in this regard, the rivals have swapped roles) and the fact that, as a former prosecutor, she stands in opposition to a convicted criminal.

The views and opinions expressed by guest columnists in their op-eds may differ from and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff.