Local reactions to Biden ending bid for reelection

Gino DeAngelis,

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Local officials gave their reactions to President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would no longer seek reelection for 2024 on Sunday.

Gov. Dan McKee said that Biden’s presidency will be remembered as one of the “most impactful” in history:

President Biden made a selfless and noble decision. We are forever grateful for his lifetime of service, compassionate leadership and all he has done for our country. His presidency will be remembered as one of the most impactful in our nation’s history.

Thank you, Joe Biden.

Gov. Maura Healey said the president’s decision “is the ultimate example of putting the country first:”

Joe Biden ran for President to restore the soul of our country and defeat the greatest threat our democracy has ever seen. And that’s exactly what he did.

Few could have risen to the challenge the way Joe Biden has. He has restored our economy, defended our freedoms, and protected democracy at home and abroad. He has led with decency, empathy and brought Americans together.

President Biden’s decision today not to seek reelection is the ultimate example of putting the country first — something Joe Biden has done over and over again in his unparalleled career. We are all deeply grateful to President Biden for his lifetime of service.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said he will “always be thankful” for Biden’s leadership:

With unmatched mettle, President Biden has achieved far more for working people in one term than many of his predecessors did over a lifetime.  I will always be grateful for President Biden’s leadership on climate and his courage to do the right thing for our country in all circumstances.  History will remember Joe Biden as a giant of the Senate, of the vice presidency, and of the presidency.

Let no one underestimate how hard this was.  I salute the man.

Whitehouse went on to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as nominee:

President Joe Biden’s legacy will be his grace, effectiveness, and patriotism. Let’s win this for Joe. I look forward to doing everything in my power to elect Kamala Harris as the first woman president of the United States, and defeating that dangerous menace Donald Trump.

Sen. Jack Reed said that Biden’s decisions “cements his legacy as a leader:”

Joe Biden is a remarkable president and a principled public servant.  He and the First Lady are great Americans.

President Biden deftly guided the nation through grave challenges like the pandemic, the assault on the U.S. Capitol, and economic turbulence.  Americans looked to Joe Biden for decency, hope and guidance and he delivered: righting the ship of state and setting the table for broad, sustainable progress.  His leadership helped revitalize the economy and he restored American leadership on the world stage.  President Biden’s achievements are many.  He’s already accomplished more in one term than most presidents achieve in two.

Today’s decision cements Joe’s legacy as a selfless leader.

President Biden remains a man of unfaltering character, faith, and fierce determination.  He is passing the torch, but his example and optimism will continue to unite us and guide us toward a brighter future and a better tomorrow.

Rep. Seth Magaziner said he wanted to express “great gratitude” to Biden for his “compassion and impact” as president:

I am grateful for the leadership of President Biden, who has delivered for the American people by lowering prescription drug costs, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy, reviving American manufacturing, expanding veterans benefits, standing up for democracy at home and abroad, and so much more. With today’s announcement, President Biden is putting the good of our country ahead of his own personal interest – something that Donald Trump would never do.

As we move forward, Democrats must quickly unite our party and the country behind a new nominee with a vision for the future. We have more work to do to lower housing and energy costs, protect and expand Social Security and Medicare, and make Roe the law of the land once again.

We know who Donald Trump is and what he stands for: even more tax breaks for billionaires and huge corporations, banning abortion and IVF, letting insurance companies kick people off their coverage for a pre-existing condition, and enriching himself and his friends. His radical plan to take away Americans’ constitutionally protected rights and freedoms is wrong for America.

I look forward to supporting our Democratic nominee, doing everything in my power to elect a President who will fight for working people, and ensuring that Donald Trump does not return to the Oval Office.

Magaziner also released an endorsement of Harris:

I wholeheartedly endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President. A district attorney, attorney general, senator and Vice President, she has the right experience to continue the progress made by the Biden-Harris Administration. Vice President Harris has dedicated her life to fighting for working people and defending the rights and freedoms of all Americans. She has been relentless in the fight to make Roe the law of the land, to protect social security, grow our economy and maintain American leadership on the world stage. Her record and character, and the contrast with Donald Trump, could not be more clear. She is the right nominee to unite our party and the country behind a vision for the future.

The delegates to the Democratic National Convention are free to select the nominee of their choosing, and I will respect and support the nominee chosen by the delegates, but I hope the delegates choose Kamala Harris to be our nominee and our next President.

Rep. Gabe Amo said Biden achieved “historic progress” during his presidency:

Throughout President Joe Biden’s 50-year career in public service, especially over these last three and a half years, he has achieved historic progress for the American people.

President Biden returned compassion and decency to the Oval Office. He led historic investments in the American people and our communities. He demonstrated American leadership abroad. And most importantly, he selflessly defended democracy and fought for the soul of our nation.

I will always be proud to have worked in President Biden’s White House. I look forward to talking with my colleagues about the path forward and the best process to make sure that Kamala Harris is elected our next President, but today, let’s celebrate all the work that we’ve done — and the fierce urgency to continue that work.

Rep. Jake Auchincloss said that the party now needs to focus on winning in November:

Joe Biden is the first president in U.S. history who has had to defend democracy at home and abroad simultaneously. He has done so admirably.

Thank you for your service, Mr. President. Now let’s win.

Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi said Biden served with “honor and distinction” as president:

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley also thanked the president for his “history of public service:”

President Biden has dedicated his life to bettering our country, and I join my colleagues across the country and around the world in thanking him for his extraordinary service. From revitalizing our economy, to passing unprecedented climate legislation, to making historic infrastructure investments, to helping cities like Providence build back better after the pandemic, the Biden-Harris administration has an exemplary record of accomplishment over the past four years. Democracy is on the ballot this November, and it’s time to come together as a party and prevent a return to the disastrous Trump years. I look forward to hearing from the President later this week.

The Massachusetts Democratic Party thanked Biden for his “honor and humility” in public service:

President Joe Biden will go down in history as one of the greatest leaders our nation has ever had. In the decades that he has spent in service to the American people, there has been no one more committed to decency, no one more fluent in compassion, no one more fervent in his dedication to each and every cause that might improve the lives of the people he represents.

It takes a man of great honor and breathtaking humility to commit his entire life to the service of others, and we are incredibly lucky to have a President who possesses perhaps the greatest trait of any leader; the willingness to relinquish a position of power and allow another to take his place.

The Biden Administration has been some of the most progressive years in our nation’s history. Joe Biden led us through a pandemic, codified same-sex marriage into law, championed student loan forgiveness, and passed a bipartisan infrastructure law that infused funds into countless communities. And he did it all with the same down-to-earth, empathetic style that caused the people of Delaware to elect him to the Senate back in 1972.

And now, by making the selfless choice to step aside, he has set the Democratic Party on a course for the future in which all of us, everywhere, are motivated not by preservation of the status quo, but by those bold, decisive, but necessary actions by which we change society for the better.

Joe Biden believes in a better world, in a world that views us all as equals and aims always to preserve our rights and freedom. Soon, there will be more to be said about the man he beat to take the White House, and the urgency of the work that must be done to ensure the poison he aims to spread across this country is resoundingly rejected. For now, though, our message is this: Thank you, President Biden.

Party Chairwoman Liz Beretta Perik also endorsed Harris:

The Rhode Island Republican Party, meanwhile, said that Americans should “come together” to vote for Donald Trump:

Categories: News, Rhode Island, US & World News

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