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Agence France-Presse

Reuters

World leaders lined up to pay tribute to Joe Biden after he announced on Sunday he was dropping out of the US presidential race.
Biden notified the public of his decision in a letter, a stunning move that upends the 2024 race for the White House. He endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new nominee.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he respects Biden’s decision to drop out of the White House race and that Biden has made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “I’ve known President Biden for years. He’s a great man, and everything he does is guided by his love for his country. As President, he is a partner to Canadians – and a true friend. To President Biden and the First Lady: thank you.”
“Joe Biden has achieved a great deal: for his country, for Europe, for the world,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“Thanks to him, transatlantic cooperation is close, Nato is strong and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us. His decision not to run again deserves recognition.”
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told national broadcaster NRK: “I respect Joe Biden’s decision not to run for re-election. That justification deserves respect. Biden has been one of America’s most prominent politicians over several decades, and a president who has carried out several important reforms.”

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris wrote on X: “Joe Biden, in all the offices he has held, has always been an unwavering voice and passionate worker for peace on the island of Ireland and our country owes him a great debt for this.
“On a personal level, President Biden is a proud American with an Irish soul. When he arrived into Belfast, Louth and Mayo last year he himself said it was like coming home.”
Polish Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised Biden for taking “many difficult decisions thanks to which Poland, America and the world are safer, and democracy stronger”.
“I know you were driven by the same motivations when announcing your final decision. Probably the most difficult one in your life,” added Tusk, who served as the European Council president between 2014 and 2019.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant thanked Biden for his “unwavering support of Israel over the years”. He added: “Your steadfast backing, especially during the war, has been invaluable. We are grateful for your leadership and friendship.”
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Biden for taking “bold steps” in supporting his country, praising the US president’s “tough but strong decision” to end his re-election bid.
“He supported our country during the most dramatic moment in history, assisted us in preventing [Russian President Vladimir] Putin from occupying our country, and has continued to support us throughout this terrible war,” he said.
Russia’s Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking to SHOT news outlet, said: “The elections are still four months away, and that is a long period of time in which a lot can change. We need to be patient and carefully monitor what happens. The priority for us is the special military operation,” Peskov said, referring to the war in Ukraine.


Meanwhile, a number of prominent business leaders and Silicon Valley investors – among them Elon Musk, Bill Ackman, and Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz – have publicly come out in support of Donald Trump.
Musk and Ackman announced their backing after the former president was shot in an assassination attempt, while the A16z founders Andreessen and Horowitz pointed to Trump’s policies on cryptocurrency and taxes in a lengthy podcast.
“I believe in an America that maximises individual freedom and merit. That used to be the Democratic Party, but now the pendulum has swung to the Republican Party,” SpaceX and Tesla owner Musk posted on X soon after Biden announced his withdrawal.
“My smartest friends, including those living in the San Francisco Bay Area who have been lifelong Dems, are excited about Trump/Vance,” he added.

Entrepreneur David Sacks, founder of venture capital fund Craft Ventures, took to X to write: “Biden says he will address the nation later this week. Why wouldn’t he do that now? This was rushed. Pelosi wanted him out now.”
Sacks further posted on X: “First they told us there was nothing wrong with Biden. Then they threatened to destroy him if he didn’t leave the race. Now they’re calling him a ‘hero.’ How can you not be sickened by these people?”
Sacks, who previously supported Democrat Hillary Clinton, helped organise a US$12 million fundraiser for Trump in June and donated US$1 million to vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance’s Ohio Senate campaign.


However Reid Hoffman, co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn, praised Biden’s decision, posting on X that Joe Biden is “a leader who acts with the best interests of America in mind”.
“Not seeking re-election is one of the most selfless acts we’ve seen from a politician in modern American history,” he continued. “This is what’s right for our country – and our democratic future.”
Hoffman added that Harris “is the right person at the right time”, noting that Trump and Vance’s agenda will “wreak havoc on the American people”.
“When presented with the choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, I believe in the American people to make the right decision for our country,” he wrote. “The Biden-Harris administration has put this country on the right track. It’s time for us to unite. I wholeheartedly support Kamala Harris and her candidacy for president of the United States in our fight for democracy in November.”
In January Hoffman donated US$2 million to the Granite for America super PAC, which led a write-in campaign in New Hampshire for Biden’s campaign.
Reed Hastings, co-founder and executive chairman of Netflix, posted on X: “Dem delegates need to pick a swing state winner.”
Hastings had been one of the large Democratic donors calling on Biden to not run again.
“Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous,” he previously told The New York Times.

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, meanwhile, had previously declined to endorse either Trump or Biden and said he does not plan to be involved in the election in any way, Bloomberg News reported.
The billionaire tech executive recently said Trump’s immediate reaction after being shot was “badass” and inspiring, and helps explain his appeal to voters.
A gunman opened fire on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last weekend, with one of the bullets grazing his right ear.
Meta has frequently called out Trump’s posts for containing misinformation and breaching content rules on its platforms. It also suspended his Facebook and Instagram accounts for about two years following the January 2021 Capitol riots.
Additional reporting by dpa, Business Insider, Bloomberg


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World leaders pay tribute to Joe Biden as he drops out of 2024 US presidential race

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) in Washington on July 11. Photo: PA Wire / dpa

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Biden had made many difficult decisions that made “the world safer”. Photo: AFP

Elon Musk has spoken out in support of Trump. Photo: Getty Images / TNS

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms. Photo: Bloomberg

Joe Biden drops out of US presidential race, endorses Kamala Harris

US President Joe Biden looks down as he takes part in a debate with former president Donald Trump in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

US President Joe Biden with Vice-President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in May. Photo: EPA-EFE

Donald Trump, wearing a bandage on his ear after he was injured during an assassination attempt several days earlier, speaks onstage during the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18. Photo: AFP

Chinese President Xi Jinping waits for a meeting with then US president Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019. Photo: AFP

Harris, 59, is the first woman, Black and South Asian vice-president in US history. Photo: AFP

Key senator Joe Manchin urges Biden to step aside as polls show Trump rise

US Senator Joe Manchin. Photo: AFP

US President Joe Biden, left, with Senator Joe Manchin. On Sunday, Manchin urged Biden to drop his re-election bid. Photo: AP 

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is surrounded by US Secret Service agents after a shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. Photo: AP

Biden raises and spends more money than Trump in election campaign in June

Democrat presidential candidate US President Joe Biden listens as Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump speaks during their debate in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27. Photo: Reuters

Vice-President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at Resorts World Las Vegas on July 9. Photo: TNS

Donald Trump says China’s Xi Jinping wrote him a ‘beautiful note’ after assassination attempt

Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump wears a flesh-coloured bandage on his ear as he holds a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Republican US vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance attends his first joint rally with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Police officers stand guard in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Republican US presidential nominee is holding a campaign rally on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

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World

United States & Canada

UK’s Starmer says he respects Biden’s decision to drop out as Canada’s Trudeau calls Biden ‘a partner to Canadians – and a true friend’


UK PM Starmer says he respects Biden’s decision to drop out as Canada’s Trudeau calls US president ‘a partner to Canadians – and a true friend’.
