Page 33 - Joe Biden

Kamala Harris wins enough support to clinch Presidential nomination

Kamala Harris has attracted the support of enough delegates to become the Democratic Party's nominee for president, US media outlets reported on Tuesday, as the vice president received a wave of endorsements from potential rivals, lawmakers, governors and influential advocacy groups. Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, has received the backing from more than the 1,976 pledged delegates needed to win the Democratic Party's nomination on the first ballot, CNN reported on the first full day of her campaign. "I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon," Harris, 59, said in a statement late Monday, a day after President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race for the White House on November 5 and endorsed Harris. As party officials were preparing to finalise the process for formally nominating a candidate ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago from August 19-22, it was already clear that the biggest remaining question about the 2024 ...

Biden passed the torch slowly, hanging on until the wheels finally came off

As the pass the torch drumbeat thumped on from lawmakers wanting him to quit the race, President Joe Biden maintained a brave face. Publicly, he vowed he was all in, until the day he got out. But there were telling indications he was listening to that beat long before he ended his campaign for reelection. One sign was over a week ago, when Chuck Schumer visited his Delaware beach house as an emissary of gloom. The Senate majority leader had spoken with Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, a few days earlier. He had heard from nearly every Democratic senator, pinging him over the last three weeks on his old-school flip phone. He wasn't speaking for all of them, but for many. Think about what's bound to happen to Democrats in Congress, Schumer implored the president. Think about the generations-long impact of a Supreme Court with Donald Trump in the White House. Think about your legacy. I need a week, Biden said. The two men hugged. That scen

US election: Can Harris win the presidency after Joe Biden's withdrawal?

It's not certain, but very likely Harris will now be the Democratic candidate to face former Republican president Donald Trump in November

We're not fighting a candidate but unelected managerial machine: Ramaswamy

Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy, who had predicted President Joe Biden would not be the Democratic presidential nominee for the November election, has said the country is not running against a candidate but an unelected managerial class machine. The Indian-American businessman-turned-politician said on Monday that the speed at which the ruling Democratic Party moved to replace incumbent President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris as a possible candidate for the November 5 polls raises lots of questions. We're not actually running against a candidate here. We're running against a machine. That's a deep understanding of what's going on that requires rejecting some of the things you might otherwise think, Ramaswamy said in a 15-minute long video posted on various social media platforms. During the Republican presidential debate last November, Ramaswamy, 38, had predicted that Biden would not be the Democratic presidential nominee, a claim dismissed as a conspiracy theory' b

Biden to campaign for VP Harris, justifies decision to opt out of prez race

US President Joe Biden has described his decision to drop out of the presidential race as "the right thing to do" and said he would campaign with his deputy Kamala Harris, whom he has endorsed as the Democratic Party's new nominee, for the November general elections. In a telephonic address on Monday to his former campaign team, which has now been rechristened Harris Campaign, Biden urged the members to "embrace" Vice President Harris (59) while asserting that the name of the campaign has changed but the mission remains the same -- defeating Donald Trump. Biden's decision to nominate Harris follows weeks of intense pressure from fellow Democrats after his disastrous presidential debate performance against his Republican rival and former US President Donald Trump last month. The 82-year-old US president, who is in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, called the campaign headquarters on Monday moments before Harris made the maiden address to the team. "If I didn't have

US election: DNC Chair says party will select a president nominee by Aug 7

Earlier on Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris swiftly consolidated support for her presidential bid and secured commitments from hundreds of convention delegates

Trump wants to take US backwards, says Kamala Harris in campaign address

US Vice President Kamala Harris has kicked off her presidential campaign with a scathing attack on her Republican rival Donald Trump, alleging the former president wants to take the country backwards. Addressing her campaign staffers at Wilmington in Delaware on Monday, Harris (59) alleged that Trump's Project 2025 would "weaken the middle class and bring us backwards to the failed trickle-down policies that gave huge tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and made working families pay for the cost". Biden's former campaign team has been rechristened Harris Campaign, a day after the 81-year-old incumbent president announced that he was withdrawing from the race to be the next president and endorsed Harris, who is of both Indian and African origin, as the Democratic Party's new nominee for the November 5 general elections. The vice president told the campaign staffers on Monday that she was retaining the same team from the Biden-Harris campaign. Targeting her Republican riv

Black voters express a mix of hope and worry as Harris takes centre stage

Black voters expressed a mix of hope and worry on Monday over Joe Biden's exit from the presidential race and the prospect of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee. A key Democratic constituency, Black voters helped power Biden to victory in the 2020 primaries and ultimately to the White House, and they were among his most steadfast supporters, even as calls for him to quit grew. But as much pride as some Black Americans feel about the possibility of Harris, who is of Black and Indian descent, becoming president, the upending of the race has some voters feeling scared. I felt like we were doomed, said Brianna Smith, a 24-year-old school counselor from Decatur, Georgia, recounting her reaction to Biden's announcement. I don't see America actually accepting the fact that a Black woman is running for president. Cyria Adams, a 37-year-old hairstylist from Smyrna, Georgia, called Biden's decision heartbreaking. As speculation spread last week that the president mig

In taking on Trump, Kamala Harris vows to draw on her prosecutorial skills

Harris, 59, outlined a series of policies she promised to pursue including signing laws to protect abortion rights and ban assault rifles

Amid US political chaos, Blinken heads to Asia to bolster Indo-Pacific ties

Ignoring the political chaos surrounding President Joe Biden's decision to end his reelection campaign, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Asia this week on a long-planned eight-day trip aimed at shoring up ties with Indo-Pacific allies and partners but with the priority of assuring them that the United States remains committed to the region. The State Department announced on Monday that Blinken, a longtime close aide to Biden dating from the president's days in the Senate, will travel to Vietnam, Laos, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Mongolia for a series of international and bilateral meetings. Those will include discussions in Laos with his Chinese counterpart and strategic and security talks in Tokyo and Manila also involving Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. The trip had been scheduled well before Biden's announcement on Sunday that he was withdrawing from the presidential race. State Department officials said there was no discussion of cancelling or postponing

JD Vance calls Democrats threat to democracy after Biden exits 2024 race

Vance joked that he was upset he doesn't get to debate Harris now because she will face Trump on the debate stage in September

Kamala Harris' presidential campaign raises $81 million in first 24 hours

US Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign has raised USD 81 million in the first 24-hour period since incumbent President Joe Biden stepped aside from the presidential race and endorsed his deputy as the Democratic Party's new nominee. Biden's decision to nominate Harris (59) follows weeks of intense pressure from fellow Democrats after his disastrous presidential debate performance against his Republican rival and former US President Donald Trump last month. Kevin Munoz, the spokesperson for Harris' campaign, said, "There is a groundswell behind Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is terrified because he knows his divisive and unpopular agenda can't stand up to the vice president's record and vision for the American people." "Team Harris raised USD 81 million in its first 24 hours, adding to the near quarter-of-a-billion dollar war chest already amassed this election cycle. This haul reflects money raised across the campaign, Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising ...

Democrats to choose nominee through virtual roll call, VP Harris favoured

The Democratic Party plans to push forward with a virtual roll call in which delegates to its convention can choose a presidential nominee before they meet in person next month in Chicago, with Vice President Kamala Harris heavily favoured now that President Joe Biden has abandoned his reelection bid. The convention rules committee will meet Wednesday to approve how the virtual roll call will work, but a draft of the plan they are set to approve was obtained by The Associated Press on Monday. The proposal does not list a date for when the virtual roll call begins, but Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said the process will be completed by Aug. 7. We can and will be both fast and fair as we execute this nomination, Harrison on a conference call with reporters. The party says the virtual roll call will potentially feature multiple rounds of voting on nominees. To qualify, candidates must have the electronic signatures of 300 convention delegates. The Democratic Nati

Biden's withdrawal from presidential race spells uncertainty for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden's decision to end his campaign for reelection brings a new element of uncertainty for Ukraine, which is struggling to fend off Russian advances even as it worries about the future of American support. The prospect of victory for former President Donald Trump, the Republican contender, has long concerned Kyiv, which fears he would choke off support and force Ukraine to sue for peace on terms that favor Russia. But while the Democrats hope Biden's decision to drop out and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris will inject energy into their campaign, it's unclear whether it makes Trump's defeat more likely. Officials in Moscow, widely thought to favor Trump, were noncommittal. Kyiv resident Yulia Loginova said she found it impossible to predict how Biden's departure would affect Ukraine. I don't know, honestly, she said. Surprises every day. But he did the right thing. Phillips O'Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland,

Trump allies looking to sue democrats for choosing anyone other than Biden

Even before President Joe Biden's long-speculated withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, allies of former President Donald Trump floated the possibility of suing to block Democrats from having anyone other than Biden on the ballot in November. But election administration and legal experts said the timing of Biden's exit on Sunday makes it unlikely that any Republican ballot access challenges will succeed, with some calling the idea ridiculous and frivolous. Democrats are on safe legal ground as they identify a new standard-bearer, they say, because the party hasn't officially chosen its nominee. That typically occurs with a vote of delegates at the party's convention. It's ridiculous for people to talk about replacing Biden.' He hasn't been nominated yet, said Richard Winger, a leading expert on state ballot access laws and the longtime editor of the Ballot Access News newsletter. Talk of possible Republican legal challenges has been swirling since Democrats began discussing

VP Harris has a daunting to-do list as she starts up presidential campaign

It's a daunting to-do list. Vice President Kamala Harris suddenly needs to whip up a presidential campaign almost from scratch. It's a process that usually takes months, even years. Harris has only about two months before early voting starts. And, of course, nothing is guaranteed, despite her getting the endorsement of President Joe Biden - and significant pieces of his campaign - after he exited the race on Sunday. That means she is in a rush to raise money, figure out a strategy, hire staff, win delegates, set up a website, make some ads, plan a convention and on and on. The checklist is long, but at least, as of Monday morning, she has a campaign logo. And Harris does have a big advantage in that she's already on the Democratic ticket as the vice presidential nominee and had run previously in 2020 for the presidency. With Biden's endorsement, she's piling up delegates at a rapid pace. It's less of a lift to do it with Harris, who has been on the national stage," says Democratic

Biden continues to recover from Covid, remains out of public view

President Joe Biden's "symptoms have almost resolved completely" from COVID-19, according to his physician, as the president on Monday remained out of public view for the fifth straight day. Biden announced he was ending his reelection campaign in a letter posted Sunday on social media. He also announced in a statement on Sunday that he was endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. The president was last seen in public late Wednesday after arriving at a U.S. air base in Dover, Delaware, after testing positive for COVID-19 while campaigning in Las Vegas earlier in the day. He then motorcaded to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Biden's physician, Dr Kevin O'Connor, said that the president had completed his 10th dose of the COVID-fighting medication Paxlovid on Monday morning and continued to perform all of his presidential duties. His symptoms have almost resolved completely. His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal, O'Connor ..

Democrats donate over $50 mn online after Biden exits presidential race

The huge amount is based on a New York Times analysis of the online ticker of contributions maintained by ActBlue, the leading site processing Democratic donations

Trump risks getting tables turned on him with Harris as new 2024 adversary

59-year-old Harris, whom Biden has endorsed, or virtually every other Democrat who could end up atop the ticket would deprive Trump of the argument, and might even be able to turn the tables on him

Kamala Harris praises Biden's unmatched legacy, looks to lock up nomination

Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within their party that he would be unable to defeat Republican Donald Trump. Biden's exit Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries over his fitness for office, was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties' carefully honed plans for the 2024 race. Aiming to put weeks of intraparty drama over Biden's candidacy behind them, prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organisations quickly lined up behind Harris in the hours after Biden announced he was dropping his reelection campaign. Biden's departure frees his delegates to vote for whomever they choose. Harris, whom Biden backed after ending his candidacy, is thus far the only declared candidate and was working to quickly secure endorsements from a majority of delegates. Additional endorsements