US President Joe Biden's reelection campaign staffers were reportedly only notified that he was dropping on the presidential race through social media.
First reported by Wired, several Biden campaign managers claimed to have received an email directing them to a letter the president posted on X (formerly Twitter), nearly 20 minutes after it went public.
Similar statements were reported in the New York Times and Politico with many senior campaign aides only being notified just a few minutes before the announcement went public.
Harris to Replace Biden for Democratic Party Nominee in 2024 Elections
Biden did not give an exact reason for the sudden decision but claimed that he would rather "focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term."
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. 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… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Harris is set to be the Democratic Party's lead against former President Donald Trump, Biden's biggest rival during the 2020 Elections, this November. Harris has yet to declare her running partner.
Social Media in Chaos Over Biden's Presidential Campaign Resignation
Biden's campaign team is not the only one scrambling over the sudden decision, the whole online space is.
Much of the sentiment from either political leaning echoes earlier concerns of Biden losing popularity against Trump who continues to gain support following the assassination attempt on his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The chaotic situation has also paved the way for the rise of election disinformation as multiple AI-generated videos of Biden were spotted not even an hour after the announcement went public.
🚨Breaking Now🚨: President Joe Biden makes his first video address following dropping out of the Presidential race. pic.twitter.com/oIE69FHXdf
— Prison Mitch (@MidnightMitch) July 21, 2024
These are in addition to conspiracy theories that have surged throughout social platforms, most of which speculate about the president's health and mental capacity.
It did not help that the information first spread on social media as many people claimed to have only been made aware of Biden dropping out of the race through memes and online discussions, much of which has been mixed with people's opinions.
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