'Everything was fine last night': Joe Biden abruptly quits 2024 US presidential race in a surprise move

As of Saturday night, President Joe Biden was determined to stay in the 2024 presidential race. However, he surprised his senior staff on Sunday afternoon by announcing his withdrawal, according to a source familiar with the matter. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters, "Last night the message was proceed with everything, full speed ahead." The source added, "At around 1:45 p.m. today, the president told his senior team that he had changed his mind."

Minutes later, Biden made the formal announcement of his exit from the race. This decision came less than a month after Biden, 81, faced intense scrutiny following a poor performance in a debate against Republican Donald Trump, which raised concerns about Biden's mental acuity.

A senior adviser revealed that Biden arrived at his decision over the past 48 hours after reviewing extensive data and polls indicating that his path to victory was increasingly unlikely. Following the debate, Biden's campaign saw a decline in support in key battleground states, complicating his re-election prospects.

The sudden announcement caught many White House and campaign staff off guard, with several expressing shock at the unexpected turn of events. Biden made the announcement while recuperating from COVID-19 at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, following a diagnosis during a trip to Las Vegas last week.

The 81-year-old president, who had been dealing with a cough, spent the weekend grappling with Democratic pressure to withdraw from the race. Biden’s frustration was reportedly heightened by what aides believed to be a pressure campaign orchestrated by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Prior to the announcement, the Biden campaign had denied rumors about his potential withdrawal. Deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks told MSNBC's "The Weekend" on Sunday morning, "It is false. And I think that it is false to continue to try to gin up this narrative."

Despite the campaign's denial, there were signs that Biden had been contemplating withdrawing for several days, with sources indicating that he had been engaged in considerable soul-searching.

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