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Hello, this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, with reports and analysis from across the world. The latest news seven days a week. BBC World Service podcasts are supported by advertising. It's that time of the year. Your vacation is coming up. You can already hear the beach waves, feel the warm breeze, relax and think about...
I'm Katrina Perry from the Global Story podcast, where we're looking at the violence and anger sweeping across the UK. There's been a wave of anti-immigrant protests since the murder of three young girls over a week ago.
But how did that attack spark rioting throughout the country? The Global Story brings you unique perspectives from BBC journalists around the world. Find us wherever you get your podcasts. This is a special edition of the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Janette Jalil. It's 20 Hours GMT on Sunday, the 21st of July. The U.S. President Joe Biden has announced he's ending his bid for a second term in the White House. He's endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris to oppose Donald Trump in November. We'll get reaction from Democrats and Republicans. Joe Biden ultimately has made his decision to
And I think that at this point, we are set up to select a ticket that is going to be victorious. 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. And we'll also be getting analysis from our correspondents.
President Joe Biden has announced that he will no longer stand for re-election in November, bowing to weeks of intense pressure from fellow Democrats after a faltering debate performance against Donald Trump. Mr Biden, who's currently isolating while recovering from COVID, posted his announcement on social media, which is read for us by a producer. It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election...
I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term. I will speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision. For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me re-elected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work.
And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me. I believe today what I always have, that there is nothing America can't do when we do it together.
We just have to remember we are the United States of America. Mr Biden then endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to be the Democratic Party's presidential nominee and urged his supporters to donate to her campaign. Minutes after the news broke, I spoke to our correspondent, Gary O'Donoghue, who's in Michigan for Saturday night's triumphant Trump rally.
It's a really seismic moment, I think, for the country. This pressure, as you say, has been growing, particularly since that debate three and a half weeks ago, where he had this faltering, stumbling appearance, not really seeming to be aware at times of where he was or what he was saying. And really since then, we've had a constant drip, drip of criticism from within his own party. Around three dozen members of Congress coming out and calling for him to step aside. Now,
This must have been a hugely difficult decision. As recently as about two or three hours ago, his campaign people were pushing back against yet another former Democrat, independent Senator Joe Manchin, who said this morning that he should hand over the baton. They were pushing back against that just this morning.
And yet here we have now this letter, in a sense, bowing to the inevitable, perhaps talking in broad brush terms about why he's chosen to do it, the best interests of his party and his country. I have to say, it's come as a bit of a bolt out of the blue, because as you say, it had seemed that he was digging in, that his campaign were making these comments that he was determined to say in the race.
So it seems that perhaps as he was isolating at his beach house after contracting COVID, he may finally have had a rapid change of heart.
Well, really, the last time we saw him in public, I think, was Wednesday, where there were some uncomfortable pictures of him on the steps of Air Force One. He was obviously suffering from Covid. His docs had said just a couple of days ago that he was recovering. He was still a bit hoarse, had a bit of a
But things were going in the right direction. But clearly there's been some time for reflection over the last couple of days while he's been isolating, no doubt talking to family members, no doubt listening to the campaign aides, no doubt talking about those polls, which he has often pointed to.
And I can tell you, as someone who's in a swing state now, Michigan, you know, he is starting to lag behind in these key swing states. It's a two or three point margin with Donald Trump at the moment. So potentially within the margin of error. But
But the Democrats cannot afford to lose places like Michigan, like Pennsylvania, like Wisconsin, because if they lose those places, then they lose the White House. The other thing to say is that one of the things that's been coming out of Congress in particular, some of those big congressional leaders, is warnings to Joe Biden that not only does he risk losing the White House, but he could be a potential drag president.
on them in Congress. So they are very hopeful about retaking the House of Representatives, which Republicans currently hold with a very small number of seats, handful of seats. They believe, or some of them believe, that Joe Biden was going to prevent them doing that. They've got some tough races in the Senate. It's not a good map for the Democrats this year in terms of those Senate races. They want to try and hold on to that. And, of course, for the party...
If they were to lose the White House and both houses in Congress, then you've got what's called a trifecta. And really, with a Republican president potentially and two Republican branches in Congress, then the way is open to do to really push through a hardline agenda. So that's been one of the major concerns of people in the Democratic Party, particularly on Capitol Hill.
But what may have also swayed him was the media coverage, the images showing Donald Trump looking defiant after that assassination attempt with that triumphant rally yesterday in Michigan, where you are, and
Meanwhile, Mr. Biden not being able to go on the campaign trail, having to isolate. This was something that even he could see perhaps was not the message he wanted to send, not the image he wanted to send to American voters who were already concerned about his age, given the fact that he is the oldest U.S. president ever.
Yeah, he's 81. He is the oldest, as you rightly say. That rally I was at last night, the Donald Trump rally, and there was a sort of a sense of vigour, a sense of energy, even though, you know, he's 78 years old. He is not a young man.
But the events of last weekend energize that. He's got a very young senator now on the ticket, J.D. Vance from Ohio, who should help him in some of these Rust Belt states as well, where he won in 2016 and which won him the presidency in 2016.
And yes, the contrast... In fact, just moments before I came on air to talk to you, I was writing a piece that was going to go out in a couple of hours. And I had some pictures in this television piece of the rally last night. And I'd written the line, contrast that to this, and then the pictures of Joe Biden on Wednesday having difficulty on the steps of Air Force One. And that is a huge picture. The other crucial factor, Jeanette, in all this is...
that the donors, the big Democratic donors, have started to get very cold feet about Joe Biden. They were starting to withhold money. Some fundraising events were starting to be cancelled. And he was starting to fall a little bit behind in terms of the numbers this month, the dollars on hand, etc., etc.,
That is absolutely central in American political campaigning. You cannot run a successful campaign without a shed load of money. And I mean, you know, almost two billion dollars aside potentially in the run up to November. And if your big dollar donors are not feeling it, then you don't stand any chance. So that is also a huge factor in this decision, unquestionably. Unquestionably, incredibly important, those donations.
Joe Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris to replace him in the race for the White House. What does this mean? What happens next now? Yeah, it's interesting. His initial statement did not endorse her and they seem to have rushed another one out.
half an hour later or so, and then another one telling people to give her money. So what formally could happen now is that those delegates that were already pledged at the national convention in Chicago in the middle of August to vote for Joe Biden, he'll have to release those and we'll see what the mechanism are. But they could decide to vote for Kamala Harris. They could decide to vote for someone else. There will have to be some kind of vote at the convention that
or perhaps before they may try and arrange it before, but I think it will probably go to the convention. And if anyone else decides to stand, that could get very, very messy. They haven't had a contested convention yet.
I think probably the late 60s is the last time that happened, and that got very, very messy. So we'll see exactly. I'm sure the Democratic National Committee will come out and try and sort of set out what their plans are. But everything is now in flux. Everything is up in the air, as you were saying. And lots of people will be considering their future. And in places like Michigan, where I am now, I was out talking to some Democratic operatives this morning, and
And they were very unsure and very anxious about the uncertainty at the top of the ticket, just getting on with their jobs. But, you know, their message was people need to make that up. They might as well now they have. There'll be more uncertainty before there's certainty, if you like. And this will go on for a good few weeks yet before they actually formally have a presidential nominee. Gary O'Donoghue.
Even though it had seemed inevitable that Mr Biden would have to give in to the pressure not to run again, I put it to our State Department correspondent, Tom Bateman, that it was still a stunning moment when his announcement came. It was a stunning moment, particularly because it didn't leak beforehand. You know, in the hours running up to this, there wasn't any sense of a warning that this was about to happen. It was just the letter that he released and tweeted in terms of making this announcement.
I think what happened was a critical mass built up within the Congressional Democratic Party and also crucially among donors.
that pulled the rug from under Joe Biden. Now, I think he had a bit of a stay of execution, actually, because it probably would have happened earlier. In fact, even a week ago, last Sunday, if it wasn't for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on the Saturday night just over a week ago now, that really put a pause in all of this. And amid that, President Biden sort of regained a bit of momentum in terms of his candidacy and carried on campaigning. He flew to
to Nevada, to Las Vegas this week. I was on that trip, on Air Force One, his very last trip campaigning now for his own candidacy for the presidency. But it was becoming clear, I think, during that trip that this attempt among congressional Democrats to really persuade him to step aside was well and truly back on. The pressure was building. And that trip in Nevada ended in
sort of chaos and crisis as we were bizarrely at a campaign stop in a Mexican restaurant. All of us press were ushered out as he carried on and did a radio interview. We were sitting outside in the sort of searing Nevada heat for about an hour and a half to up to two hours, I think, while something was clearly wrong. And what was actually happening was he was being tested for COVID. He tested positive.
They pulled that trip. We were rushed back to Air Force One to fly back to Delaware, to his home, where he's been effectively isolating since then. So I think, you know, the writing was on the wall at that moment. And really, the last... I think now the last public appearance he has made was...
Walking down the steps of Air Force One in a jacket and cap at night, having been tested positive for Covid, looking really pretty frail and fragile, walking very tentatively, cautiously and carefully. And I think if there was a moment that it looked like things were over for him, it was then. And he had been due to meet the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who's coming to Washington this week.
Yeah, he's flying tomorrow, actually. That meeting is still on. I think it will take place on Tuesday, as far as I'm aware. It was due to happen tomorrow. I think they delayed it slightly because of Mr Biden's COVID-19.
the fact he's got COVID. But that is still going ahead, I think. That will take place on Tuesday. Because remember, he continues as president. He's made that abundantly clear in the statement. And he said he wants to focus all of his energies on, you know, the end of his presidency now. So that will continue. And I mean, this is going to be a really, really big and controversial week as the Israeli prime minister heads to Washington. Huge protests planned. Some Democrats extremely unhappy about the speech yesterday.
The fact that he's going to give a joint speech to Congress, many, many Republicans and some other Democrats welcoming it, very happy about it. But it's going to be a very controversial week. And, you know, Mr. Biden now sort of having to turn his attention to that in the midst of a crisis that's reached its fruition in his own party. And, of course, then the race to find a new candidate.
Tom Bateman, you're listening to a special edition of the Global News Podcast about President Joe Biden's decision to end his re-election campaign.
Reaction is coming in from across the political spectrum. Lindy Lee, a fundraiser and delegate for the Democratic Party, as well as a friend of Joe Biden's, explained how difficult the decision had been for him. I know it was excruciatingly difficult. I've been talking with people really close with him. I spoke with him four days ago over Zoom and
And this morning, actually, I went on Fox News and gently suggested to the president that he should consider stepping aside and endorsing his vice president. And I'm shocked. I'm still a little bit shaken that an hour after my interview aired, this happened. So for me, this is...
Well,
Well, Mr Biden's longtime political rival, Donald Trump, responded soon after the announcement was made. Mr Trump posted to his own online platform, Truth Social. His statement is read by a producer. 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. Well, to gauge the reaction across America, I spoke to Paul Moss. I've got the full statement by the leader of the Democrats in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, who said President Biden was a true patriot who'd once again put his country, his party and America's future first.
The Democratic governor of California, Gavin Newsom, saying Mr. Biden fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans. Mark Hamill, star of the Star Wars movie, has put his all in to say what an amazing person Joe Biden was. But here's an important thing. I've now got a post from the ex-account of Joe Biden about his endorsement. Decided not to accept the nomination to focus on being president.
And he says, my first very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my vice president. It's been the best decision I've made today. I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats, it's time to come together and beat Trump.
Now, there you are, that call for unity, which is really essential. And the spotlight will now shift to Kamala Harris, who hasn't always had great press during her time as vice president when she's had to deal with difficult issues such as migration at the southern border. Indeed, I mean, vice presidents are sometimes seen as a sort of punch ball to keep the attention off the president when it comes to difficult issues like immigration as such.
She has been that person. But no, she's managed to alienate both people on the Republican side, but also some Democrats. And just I want to add another thing that we're hearing, and I suspect this may be the first of similar comments. This has just come in. The top Republican in the Republican Party member in Congress, and that's Mike Johnson, the House speaker, has said this. Joe Biden must resign as president immediately. Immediately.
He said if Joe Biden is not fit for run for president, he's not fit to serve as president. He must resign the office immediately. November 5th cannot arrive soon enough. So I think if we take that along with the Trump statement, which was full of fury at Joe Biden, saying he only got into power by lies and et cetera, et cetera. I think we've got to say the idea of the divisive politics we're going to see in the weeks ahead.
But to counterbalance that, there's all these tributes that are now pouring in from Democrats, including a Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democratic Party congressman. Let's listen to the tribute he paid to the president. I can't tell you how grateful people are to him for his five decades of service. It's not easy to do what he did, as you know.
And so for him to put the country above himself is, in my view, one of the best indications that he has put service above self. And I think that's why he's going to go down as one of the greats. And
A lot of Americans will be reflecting quite sadly on this too, given the fact that he has had this long distinguished record, even if a lot of them did want him to go because they felt he was simply too old, too frail, too ill for the job. I think so. And I think indeed that frailty, which has been so clear, is in a sense going to increase the sympathy, particularly as what he's now dealing with is not the sort of frailty that was being discussed until a few days ago, or the comments on how he performed at the debate, the
the gaffes etc what he's now dealing with is covid which many people will be able to relate to and many people know has been a particularly harsh virus for older people to catch and therefore there's going to be concern we're talking about a yeah a very old man who's now got covid and as
as we heard earlier from Tom Bateman, was looking particularly frail the last time he was seen in public after Covid was was diagnosed. And so, yes, I think there will be an outpouring of sympathy. But as I've said, those comments from both Donald Trump, the the man who he was supposed to be taking on and the House Speaker Mike Johnson being very aggressive, saying that Joe Biden should stand down now. I think that gives us an idea that normal service, indeed, very pugnacious service will soon be resuming.
Paul Moss. After arriving in Washington as one of the country's youngest senators, Joe Biden now ends his bid for re-election as the oldest president. Our North America editor, Sarah Smith, looks back at his presidential career. When I ran for president four years ago, I said we're in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are. Joe Biden's age was already a huge concern, even before he launched his campaign for re-election.
but his team shrugged it off. Let's finish this job. I know we can. He confidently challenged Donald Trump to a debate, thinking it would boost his support. Now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I'll even do it twice. So let's pick the dates, Donald.
We're live from Georgia, a key battleground state in the race for the White House. It was a total disaster and set off panic inside his party. Making sure that we continue to strengthen our health care system, making sure that we're able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I've been able to do with the COVID, excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with... Look, if...
We finally beat Medicare. The stakes are too high. The stakes are too high. A stronger performance at a rally the next day was not enough to reassure voters that he's up to the job. I give you my words of Biden, I would not be running again if I didn't believe, with all my heart and soul, I can do this job. Because quite frankly... The stakes are so high that every verbal mishap caused alarm, like when he confused the presidents of Mexico and Egypt. As you know, initially...
The president of Mexico, Osisi, did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him. I convinced him to open the gate. He seemed to forget where Russia's fighting a war. Has Vladimir Putin been weakened by recent events? It's hard to tell, but he's clearly losing the war in Iraq. He's losing the war at home. And he referred to President Macron of France as Mitterrand, a man who left that office 30 years ago. I said, America's back.
And Mitterrand from Germany, I mean, from France, looked at me and said, said, you know, what, why, how long are you back for? But Biden's campaign dismissed as bedwetters. Anyone who said concerns about his age might cause him to lose the election. I want to thank you for the warm welcome. At the White House Correspondents' Dinner, he tried to kill the problem with a joke. Of course, the 2024 election is in full swing. And yes, age is an issue.
I'm a grown man running against a six-year-old. And a vigorous performance at his State of the Union address in January quietened the critics in his party for a while. This is the moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. Here's the simple truth. You can't love your country only when you win. That Republicans seized on and widely shared images of him looking lost and confused.
You're not enjoying yourself. Like the pictures of when he appeared frozen on the spot as others danced around him at an event on the White House lawn. Under extreme pressure, the president knew he couldn't afford any more mistakes. As he then said this at a NATO summit. And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin. Take a look at what happened.
When Donald Trump was almost killed by an assassin's bullet, there was a chance he would command so much attention, people would forget about Joe Biden. But as Mr. Trump got up and defiantly carried on, there was a striking contrast with a COVID-struck Mr. Biden. How are you feeling? Mr. President, how do you feel? Pausing his campaign and making his weary way home. Now, please welcome the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden. I'm so sorry.
His fate was sealed when he stepped on stage for that debate. He had called for it early to try to reset the race. I'm going to continue to move until we get the total ban on the total initiative relative to what we're going to do with more border patrol and more asylum officers.
President Trump? I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either. His performance has forced him to exit the election. Sarah Smith. You've been listening to a special edition of the Global News Podcast about President Biden's decision to drop out of the race for the White House.
If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at Global News Pod. This edition was produced by Harry Bly. It was mixed by Caroline Driscoll. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janette Jalil. Until next time, goodbye.
I'm Katrina Perry from the Global Story podcast, where we're looking at the violence and anger sweeping across the UK. There's been a wave of anti-immigrant protests since the murder of three young girls over a week ago. But how did that attack spark rioting throughout the country? The Global Story brings you unique perspectives from BBC journalists around the world. Find us wherever you get your podcasts.
