On Sunday, July 21st, President Biden announced to the world in a series of statements that he would pull his name from the ballot, no longer seek re-election, and instead put his full support behind Kamala Harris as the nominee.
President Biden, who has led the most pro-union administration in modern history alongside Vice President Harris, had faced questions regarding his age that were dragging down his poll numbers. President Biden reported suffering multiple sicknesses, including a COVID diagnosis, in the last month.
Biden’s humble and country-first decision to step aside may end up being one of the most consequential in American history. President Biden understood that defeating Trump and the Republican’s radical anti-American Project 2025 was more important than his ego.
Harris, just 59-years old, quickly earned the support of the elected delegates from a majority of states and the endorsement of the AFL-CIO. Harris then made history, raising a record-breaking $81 million in the 24 hours after Mr. Biden dropped out. It was the largest amount of money raised in a 24-hour span in presidential history. Perhaps most encouraging for Democrats is that of the more than 888,000 people who donated, 60% had not donated to a candidate in the 2024 cycle.
President Joe Biden’s decision to step aside following concerns around his age also puts Trump’s age, 78, and rambling speeches in stark contrast to the Kamala Harris, a trained prosecutor and eloquent, youthful speaker.
Many are now speculating as to who her Vice President will be, something that will be announced in the coming weeks.
President Biden’s full statement regarding his candidacy: “My Fellow Americans, over the past three-and-a-half years, we have made great progress as a nation.
“Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans.
“We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
“I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our democracy. And we’ve revitalised and strengthened our alliances around the world.
“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 interest 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.”
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond issued the following statement: “There has been no greater champion in the White House for America’s workers than President Joe Biden. He has had workers’ backs every day of his presidency, constantly pushing his administration to use every tool in its toolbox to create and protect our jobs, defend our rights in the workplace, and invest in our economic security.
“President Biden’s legacy as the most pro-labor president in history, and that of the Biden–Harris White House, is indisputable. The president led the passage of landmark legislation, which rescued our economy from the brink of another depression, brought manufacturing jobs back to America and put us on the pathway to create millions of good-paying union jobs. He ensured a pro-labor National Labor Relations Board that has defended workers’ rights and held bad bosses accountable, including corporate CEOs. He has pressed for labor standards in every federal investment and raised the wages of hundreds of thousands of federal contractors, raising the tide for fair pay for working people across the country.
“Vice President Kamala Harris has been an integral part of that success. She cast the tie-breaking votes to save the pensions of more than 1 million union members and retirees, expand the child tax credit to help millions of struggling families, and take on big pharmaceutical companies to lower the price of key prescriptions like insulin. She is a defender of civil rights and reproductive freedom and a proven partner in the administration’s pro-worker agenda.
“This is why the AFL-CIO unequivocally supported Biden–Harris for re-election earlier than any other presidential endorsement in our history. And it is why, with our deepest gratitude and respect, we honor President Biden’s choice to not run for re-election.
“The AFL-CIO’s officers and leadership from the federation’s 60 affiliated unions, representing more than 12.5 million workers, will convene soon to discuss our next steps.
“Candidates may change, but our values don’t. Our fight to create an economy where everyone has a fighting chance and a country where working people not only survive but thrive will never stop. Our solidarity with workers as we organize and bargain for the pay, benefits, and safety we deserve will never waver. And our commitment to defeating Donald Trump and JD Vance is as strong as ever.”
North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU), issued the following statement from NABTU President Sean McGarvey: “No president has put America first more than the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden. As we said in our endorsement, North America’s Building Trades Unions can honestly say no elected official has shown our members and their families more respect than President Joe Biden. Through his policies and his personnel, the Biden Administration has consistently demonstrated his laser-like focus on not only rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure and manufacturing sector but also rebuilding the American middle class itself. Their policies have directly led to increased job opportunities, improved working conditions, and better wages for the working class.
“The Administration’s accomplishments have set us on a strong path forward. From saving countless workers’ hard-earned pensions and helping us recover from a global pandemic, to the largest-ever investment in America’s infrastructure, combating climate change while putting workers first, and rebuilding American manufacturing supremacy, this Administration’s record is the single strongest pro-worker, pro-union, pro-building trades record in American history. All of that, coupled with the unprecedented regulatory actions to protect and uplift working families – strengthening Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections, fighting worker misclassification, and repealing the disastrous and misguided IRAPs – have brought life-changing, opportunity-creating, generational change focused on the working men and women of this great country.
“President Biden and his Administration have proven their leadership at a critical time for this country and the working men and women who have built it. NABTU extends our heartfelt gratitude and support for Joe’s years of dedicated service to our nation and the working class he has uplifted throughout his career. President Biden has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to putting America first, and his Administration has exemplified this principle time and time again. The Biden Administration’s unwavering dedication to our democracy has been evident every day and always safeguards our nation’s values. President Biden not only saved democracy once; he is doing it twice because of his profound love for our country, and we are humbled by his tireless, selfless efforts and courage to do what is needed to ensure its prosperity and security.”
Tristin Amezcua-Hogan is the Editor of The Labor Beacon and a member of LIUNA Local 264. Tristin also serves as the Director of Communications for the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO and the Chair of the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance.
Tristin grew up as the son of a UA Local 669 member in Tecumseh, KS and the great-nephew of George C. Amis, longtime leader of the United Rubberworkers (now USW Local 307) in Kansas. Growing up in rural Kansas as the child of teen parents, Tristin quickly came to appreciate the life-changing benefit of a union job.
Tristin and his partner, Rebeca Amezcua-Hogan, are residents of the Westside, Kansas City, MO's historic Mexican neighborhood. They are proud members of Kansas City's New Reform Temple.
