Biden made protecting American democracy a central focus of his campaign,[7][8] along with restoring the federal right to abortion following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v.

[14] Biden made strengthening U.S. alliances a key goal of his foreign policy[15] and promised to continue supporting Ukraine following the Russian invasion of the country and Israel following their war with Hamas, describing them as "vital" to U.S. national security interests.

Biden promised to continue efforts to tackle gun violence and defend the Affordable Care Act following comments from Trump suggesting he would repeal the law.

It included targeted tariffs against strategic Chinese industries to protect manufacturing jobs and counter China's technological and military ambitions.

[18][19] On March 12, 2024, Biden became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party after clinching enough delegates in Georgia, and easily defeating his primary challengers such as Representative Dean Phillips.

[28] After the debate, concerns about his health intensified, and Biden faced many calls to withdraw from the race, including from fellow Democrats[29] and the editorial boards of several major news outlets.

While he was initially considered one of the strongest candidates in that race, a scandal broke soon thereafter when news reports uncovered plagiarism by Biden in law school records and in speeches.

Lisa Blunt Rochester, Jim Clyburn, Chris Coons, Tammy Duckworth, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Gretchen Whitmer were named national campaign co-chairs.

[53] The Biden-Harris 2024 national advisory board consisted of:[54][55] Biden frequently stated his intention to "finish the job" as a campaign theme and political rallying cry.

[19] Biden previously supported two-years of free community college during his 2020 campaign, and has continued to propose it in yearly budget requests despite failing to have it pass during negotiations with Republicans as part of his Build Back Better Plan in 2021.

[93] Biden noticeably sought to reduce U.S. military presence in the Greater Middle East, and withdrew troops from Afghanistan after which the Taliban seized control.

[87] Biden previously announced the formation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, signed the first major gun control legislation in 30 years through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,[100] and issued Executive Order 14092 to stiffen background checks, ensure safer firearms storage and provide additional direction for law enforcement agencies.

[105] In February 2024, Biden supported a bipartisan immigration bill to address the Mexico-United States border crisis that included many conservative demands and also unlocked aid to Ukraine and Israel.

"[125][126] Biden has also signaled his intention to expand the price cap on the cost of insulin at $35 for Medicare recipients enacted as part of the Inflation Reduction Act to private insurance.

[128] On January 12, 2024, the IRS announced it had collected more than $520 million in back taxes from delinquent high-income individuals, complex partnerships and large corporations due to increased funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.

As a result, individual donors can donate almost $1 million per year to be distributed to the DNC, local state parties, and the affiliated Biden Victory Fund.

Of note were the 2023 Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes in California that prevented Biden from raising money from Hollywood figures owing to his pro-union stance.

[133] In early 2024, Biden's presidential campaign was noted to have a considerable fundraising and cash advantage over Trump in part due to his opponents contributions being diverted to cover his many legal fees.

[140] In the weeks following his widely considered poor debate performance on June 27, The New York Times reported that numerous large donors had "slammed their wallets closed" setting the campaign on track to raise half of what it had hoped for.

[180] Biden faced calls from both pundits and fellow Democrats to withdraw from the race due to concerns about his health and age, his polling numbers against Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump, and his low approval ratings, which have stayed below 44% since August 2021.

[196] After a widely perceived poor performance during the first 2024 presidential debate on June 27, several Democratic officials and political pundits called on Biden to step aside as the nominee.

[197][198] Other prominent Democrats, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton as well as Senators John Fetterman,[199][200] Bernie Sanders,[201][202] Tammy Duckworth,[200] and Chris Coons[203][200] rallied behind Biden, and resisted calls for him to step down due to one "bad debate.

"[204] Other influential Democrats[205] and the editorial boards including The New York Times,[206] The Boston Globe,[207] the Chicago Tribune,[208] The New Yorker,[209] The Economist[182][209] and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution[210] called for Biden to suspend his presidential campaign.

[224] On July 11, 2024, Biden held an hour-long solo press conference following the NATO 2024 Washington summit in order to demonstrate his capability to face Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

"[227] Later that evening House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Biden expressing "the full breadth of insight, heartfelt perspectives and conclusions about the path forward that the Caucus" discussed earlier in the week.

[229] On July 21, following weeks of public and private pressure, Biden announced that he was withdrawing from the race, writing "It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President.

And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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".

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.

And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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.

We just have to remember we are the United States of America.On the evening of July 24, Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office, explaining his decision to withdraw from the race, and outlining his priorities for the final months of his term.