Press comments on Joe Biden's resignation "What is certain is that the thrill for Europe will be even greater"

In the end, the pressure was probably too much: US President Joe Biden is stepping down as the Democratic presidential candidate. However, he wants to finish his regular term of office. He proposes Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. That's what the press says.

"Neue Zürcher Zeitung": "Whether with Harris or another candidate - the Democrats must now achieve something historic in order to win the presidential election in November. Never before in American history has a president dropped out of the race for the White House so late. [...] The 59-year-old Harris could offer the Americans the generational change that everyone wants. Especially if she were to be joined by an even younger, moderate and white man like the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, she could appeal to a broad section of the electorate. She may not be the strongest candidate, but it could still be enough to beat Trump. Biden himself used to say: "Don't compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative."[...].

"Tages-Anzeiger":"It has taken far too long for Joe Biden to finally be forced to admit this reality. Instead of building a succession that would have secured his legacy and his memory, he simply choked off the discussion during the primaries in order to secure another term in office. In doing so, Biden made the entire country a victim of his exaggerated sense of his own greatness, not to use the image of megalomania. He now leaves the Democrats in the difficult position of having to build up a new candidacy less than four months before the elections. Such tactics have never been rewarded with success in US history. But history does not necessarily have to repeat itself".

"Blick":"On Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. local time, what many had expected happened. US President Joe Biden (81) withdrew as a candidate for a second term in the White House. [...] A departure that was unavoidable. [...] Since the disastrous TV duel for Biden four weeks ago, his poll ratings have fallen. Party colleagues shot back at him behind closed doors, while others openly called on him to withdraw. Even his former superior, ex-President Barack Obama (62), said that Biden could not beat Donald Trump (78). The withdrawal is likely to trigger a fierce dispute within the Democrats. The question is who is responsible for the party having approved Biden as a candidate in the first place. Why did no one manage to get him to pass the baton to his vice president Kamala Harris (59) before the primaries?"

"Aargauer Zeitung":"Biden's trademark throughout his career is that he has always found his way out of hopeless situations. This time should be different. At the latest when party heavyweights like Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi expressed doubts, the clock was running against Biden. [...] Politics is brutal. It's not about loyalty, it's about one thing only: winning. Because only victory brings power. The Democrats lost faith that Trump could be beaten with Biden. [...] If Biden had been voted out of office, he would have been remembered as a failed president. Now he has the chance to be immortalized in the history books as a thoroughly successful 'one-term president'. Biden led America out of the Covid crisis. And when Russia attacked Ukraine, he built a robust Western alliance, without which Putin would probably have marched through. These are no small achievements."

CH Media: "Biden's trademark throughout his career is that he has always overcome setbacks and found his way out of hopeless situations. This time was to be different. At the latest when party heavyweights such as former President Barack Obama and party doyenne Nancy Pelosi expressed doubts, the clock was running against Biden.[...] It is incomprehensible that the 81-year-old did not realize earlier that he should make way. He simply could not let go. The fact that he did it anyway probably has less to do with wanting the "best for the country", as he writes - because then he should have done it sooner. But rather to save his own legacy and reputation[...]"

"La Liberté":"It is to be feared that Kamala Harris' candidacy will widen the gap between the two hating Americas [...] Her probable duel with the billionaire businessman is an allegory of the United States today. She is a woman, Afro-African, progressive and must compete against a demagogic and conservative macho who stands for the country's retreat into itself."

"Tribune de Genève":"The pressure was too great. In his camp, from the press and even from show business, which had always supported him. After a disastrous first debate, followed by walkouts due to a quarantine because of Covid, Joe Biden's position wobbled. The Pennsylvania miracle, a bullet grazing Trump's head, set him back for good. He was just the feeble old man in the face of the ageless hero. Cruel for a president who ended his term in office with an economic record that would make many of his predecessors envious."

"24 Heures":"Yes, time is running out for the Democrats. And you don't have to look far to find a candidate. Not that she would necessarily be ideal: We don't know much about Kamala Harris' abilities, so little room has been left for her to carve out her own space [...] But only she has the support, financially [...] and politically [...] And besides, in a campaign where image matters so much, Trump is now the other party's old man."

Watson.ch: "This step must have been infinitely difficult for him. Joseph R. Biden had been working towards the White House for almost half a century. He finally made it in 2020, and now he would have liked to spend a little more time there. In the last few days, however, the pressure on him became so great that he had no choice but to withdraw. [...] Now the Democrats have another real chance of defeating the Republicans' "demigod". Trump's "purification" after the near-death experience a week ago was very short-lived. This is shown by his reaction to Biden's withdrawal, which contains zero respect and a lot of hatred. Trump remains Trump, and for that reason alone he can be beaten in November[...]"

"New York Times":"Biden has made a bold decision. Democrats must seize the opportunity. [...] President Biden's decision not to run for president in 2024 is a fitting final chord for a man who has dedicated his life to public service. Biden has been a good president. By agreeing to step down when his term expires in January, he significantly increases his party's chance of protecting the country from the dangers that would be associated with Donald Trump returning to the presidency. [...] Had he remained at the top of the ballot, he would have significantly increased the likelihood that Trump would retake the presidency and possibly control both chambers of Congress as well. Biden himself has repeatedly warned of this threat to the country and its democratic traditions. [...] With Biden's resignation, Democrats have the opportunity to shift public attention from questions about his fitness to Trump's obvious moral and mental unfitness - and the dangers of handing him the considerable powers of the presidency again."

"Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung":"The Democrats are embarking on an uncertain experiment shortly before the election. Kamala Harris must also first convince the party of her merits. What is certain is that the thrill for Europe will be even greater."

"Süddeutsche Zeitung":"The US president is drawing the necessary conclusions from his visible weakness. Now chaos awaits the Democrats - and possibly a great opportunity."

"The Guardian:" " The best time for Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race would have been several weeks ago, in the panicked days after his disastrous performance in the televised debate. [...] The second-best time is now. By withdrawing from the presidential race, Biden has given the country an underdog chance to defeat Trump and avert the worst that the far right has planned for America. He has chosen to preserve the prospect of a Democratic victory in November, even at the cost of his own ego, even in the face of what will undoubtedly be great personal humiliation. Many politicians - most notably Trump himself - have made it clear that nothing means more to them than their own self-aggrandizement."