DEVELOPING STORY: President Biden is expected to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race as early as this weekend, sources tell Newsmax commentator Mark Halperin.
“According to my sources, President Biden has agreed to step down as the Democratic nominee,” Halperin said on Newsmax Thursday night. “A speech has been drafted for him. He will continue on as president is his intention.”
“He also will not, I’m told, endorse Vice President Harris as his successor,” Halperin said on Newsmax. “They’re hoping that he will endorse an open process in which the convention will be open to Vice President Harris and a few other candidates in Chicago to pick the Democratic nominee for president.”
The belief is that Vice President Harris is already looking at potential running mates to go to Chicago with a full ticket, including one possibility Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky and perhaps the governor of Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro.
Other possible candidates who were being talked about include Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, perhaps Gretchen Whitmer, and again, the vice president running on the first ballot.
The regular delegates would be allowed to vote under this agreement that’s being talked about amongst the president and high level Democrat officials. The regular delegates would vote on the first ballot. If there is no winner in the first ballot, the so-called superdelegates would be allowed to vote on the subsequent ballot.
This decision was reached, I’m told all of a sudden, because of the high level pressure from Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama and others, and as well as the decision of many of President Biden’s top aides that there was no path forward for him, that he would not be able to win this election, win the general election. And therefore, he’s stepping aside again as early as this weekend.
Mark Halperin
Former President Barack Obama and a number of other high-profile Democrats have been pressing Biden to rethink his run against former President Trump.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly told Biden that there was no possible way for him to win reelection and they also feared that he might bring down the entire party.
The question is whether First Lady Jill Biden allow her husband to step aside.
BREAKING: @MarkHalperin on Newsmax says President Joe Biden has already agreed to step down which can happen as early as this weekend.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 18, 2024
Halperin says the speech is already being drafted & Biden will reportedly *not* initially endorse Harris.
The decision was made after Biden got… pic.twitter.com/cE3q37e14Z
