In an already turbulent month for U.S. politics, the nation saw another dramatic turning point — President Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. 

In a letter to the American people, Biden announced his decline to run for the 2024 presidential election. “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,” Biden said. 

Days after Former President Trump’s assassination attempt and sick with COVID-19, Biden also expressed his support for Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. In the hours that followed, global leaders, national celebrities and anyone with a social media account reacted to Biden’s decision. 

At Oakland University, students also expressed their perspectives on the announcement.

“I was at Blake’s Lavender Fest, and when I saw the headline in my notifications it felt like the world stopped moving,” Ethan, a junior Spanish and history major, said. “I knew that big things were happening.”

“I think it was for the best. After the events of the past few weeks, especially that debate, I don’t think he had any real road to recovery,” Ethan said. “While I was cautiously enthusiastic about Biden’s chances before the debate, from the moment he opened his mouth on that stage I knew that he needed to consider his exit.”

“It was a long time coming,” Rose, a sophomore political science major, said. “There was a lot of speculation in the college Democratic circles. I monitor what people in the statewide chapters are saying, and people were just ready for it.”

Rose explained that when the announcement was made public, “there was kind of a moment of chaos.” However, the Democratic Party’s support for Kamala Harris as the new candidate signaled a “very clear sense of optimism,” Rose said.

“Biden’s the first president to not accept his nomination for the convention since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968,” Rose said. “There are going to be a million people saying, ‘This is going to happen, that’s not going to happen,’ but at the end of the day, we’ll have to give it a couple of weeks before polling comes out.”

“It was all over the internet and I will say I was expecting it,” Anthony, a sophomore computer science major, said. “After the major incident last week with former President Trump, [Biden’s] numbers were changing.”

“I think it is a good thing for society,” Anthony said about Biden’s decision, pointing out that if a president is responsible for crucial decision-making, they should be able to perform tasks that Biden seemed to struggle with.

“I was expecting that one of [the presidential candidates] was not making it to the presidential race by November,” a source who asked to remain anonymous said. “So when I heard rumors on X that Biden wanted to do that, and I saw the news on Sunday, I wasn’t surprised.”

The anonymous student cited Trump’s assassination attempt and Biden’s performance in the last debate as threats that, in their opinion, would prevent them from continuing their respective campaigns.

For more information regarding the 2024 presidential election, visit usa.gov.