At 1:46 E.S.T. on Sunday afternoon, President Biden announced on social media that he would end his re-election campaign, following weeks of mounting pressure from voters and politicians across the aisle. Soon after, Mr. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Mr. Biden's announcement arrived just weeks ahead of the Democratic National Convention. It's the latest a sitting president has withdrawn from a race in American history.
As soon as Mr. Biden posted his statement, Reid J. Epstein, who has spent the last 20 years writing about politics and who joined The New York Times in 2019, sprung into action. As a reporter covering the 2024 presidential campaign, he began making calls to colleagues and sources, discussing articles that were already prepared and brainstorming coverage to come.
Well, I was at my son's birthday party at a swimming pool. We had finished the cupcakes and I saw a Slack message that said Biden was out. I told my wife that I had to go. I gave my son a hug, and said that I was very sorry that I was missing the end of his party, but I would see him at home.
I called a car. I went back to my house and went into our home office and spent the rest of the day there.
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