Biden steps down, Trump becomes oldest nominee in history
On Sunday, July 21, President Biden rejected his party’s nomination and endorsed VP Kamala Harris. At 78-years-old, Trump is the oldest nominee in history.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an historic moment, President Joesph R. Biden Jr. rejected his party’s nomination for a second term in the White House. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president just minutes after making his announcement.
Biden has faced calls for him to step down since his June 27 debate performance where he was visibly tired and struggled to finish his sentences. Turning 82 in November, Biden has been criticized for his age from the political right since his nomination in 2020. In recent months, though, it was the calls from his own party that began moving the needle.
Top ranking Democratic officials, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)–who led the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump–Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). Manchin, speaking hours before Biden announced his decision, said the president needed to “pass the torch to a new generation.”
Biden acquiesced on Sunday, posting a signed statement to his Twitter account. “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down,” the President said. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President.”
In a separate Twitter post endorsing Harris, Biden said he would “focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” He said picking Harris for his Vice President was “the best decision I’ve made.” Biden ended the announcement calling on Democrats to unite to beat Trump. “Let’s do this,” Biden said.
With his departure from the ticket, Trump is now the oldest presidential nominee in American history. At the age of 78, the former president is just three years Biden’s junior. Despite that, Trump has mostly avoided criticism of his age until now.
If elected, Trump would become the oldest person to hold the presidency at the start of their term. Biden was 78 years and 61 days old at the start of his term on January 20, 2020. Trump would be 78 years and 220 days old on January 20, 2025. Trump is older than President Ronald Reagan who, before Trump or Biden, was the oldest president ever elected.
Democrats will now select a new nominee during their convention. It is unclear at this time what that process will look like. The convention is set to take place in Chicago, Ill., from Aug. 19-22.
Facing the potential of missing an Aug. 7 Ohio deadline to declare a candidate and appear on the state’s November ballot, the Democratic National Convention moved to hold a virtual roll call vote to select Biden; however, Gov. Mike Dewine (R) signed legislation extending the deadline to Sept. 1 and party leaders have rescheduled the virtual vote. Other states have deadlines that occur during the party’s convention.
Delegates to the Democratic convention are not required to vote for Harris, either. In theory, a brokered convention could occur where no nominee receives a majority leading to several rounds of votes. The last time this has occurred for either party was 1952, when both the Republican and Democratic parties had brokered, or open, conventions.
If Harris does become the Democratic nominee for president, she will be the first Black woman and the first South Asian American to be nominated by a major party. She would be just the second woman to be nominated after Hillary Clinton in 2016.
At the age of 59, Harris would be 60 years and 92 days old if elected President of the United States. She would be the 13th oldest president in American history. President Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest person elected president at 42-years-old.
Harris previously served as Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017. In 2016, Harris was elected to the U.S. Senate where she served until 2021 when she was inaugurated as the 49th Vice President of the United States. On January 21, 2019, Harris announced her bid to become the 2020 Democratic nominee for president. On December 3, 2019, she withdrew citing a lack of funds. Harris endorsed Biden in March 2020.
In May of 2023, Harris recalled her mother saying, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree. You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” The video of Harris saying this has gone viral, spawning a never ending tide of memes. Other videos, like Harris singing “Wheels on the bus go round in round,” exclaiming her love for Venn diagrams, and giving a recipe for seasoning a Thanksgiving turkey, have also achieved viral status.