By Michael V. Cusenza
President Joe Biden on Sunday announced that he will not be seeking to serve a second term in the Oval Office.
“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,” Biden wrote in a statement. “For my part: my very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And 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.”
Reaction to Biden’s decision poured into The Forum.
“Throughout his career in public service, President Joe Biden has always put his country first. Under his leadership as President, we have made historic progress and passed once-in-a-generation legislation expanding healthcare access, reducing the cost of prescription drugs, addressing gun violence, creating millions of jobs, rebuilding our economy following the COVID-19 pandemic, defending democracy around the world, and so much more,” Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing). “Thank you, Mr. President for your decades of service, belief in the promise of America, and dedication to making communities like Queens a better place for hardworking families, seniors, veterans, and students. Your legacy will undoubtedly create a better future for generations to come.
“I will also never forget how President Biden delivered for New York,” Meng added. “He visited Queens after our borough was devastated by Hurricane Ida, and under his administration, our state has received billions to improve everything from our roads to the environment. I am proud to have served as New York’s representative on the House Regional Leadership Council which has worked to promote and implement the historic legislation he signed into law, and I’m thrilled that Queens has reaped the benefits of many of these bills.”
New York State Young Republicans Chairman Peter Giunta said, “If there’s one issue that has united all Americans, it’s that Joe Biden has been the worst president in the history of our nation. Today, Biden’s decision not to seek re-election affirms his realization of this brutal fact.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said, “Here in Queens, we’ve seen President Biden’s empathy and love of country first hand. In the wake of Hurricane Ida’s destructive flooding that claimed a dozen lives, he not only came to East Elmhurst to mourn with us, but he invested millions of dollars to upgrade our infrastructure. He visited our borough to shine a spotlight on our crisis management system as well, calling our cure violence groups a national model for how to uplift at-risk youth. Queens has never had a better friend on the federal level than Joe Biden. With American democracy once again on the jagged edge, I commend President Biden for demonstrating his unmatched dedication to this country by stepping aside. In Vice President Kamala Harris, we are lucky to have yet another unshakable ally in Washington. This November, I wholeheartedly believe she will shatter that glass ceiling once and for all and I look forward to working with her in continuing to move America forward.”
