President Joe Biden cast his ballot on Oct. 28 in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, during early voting.
Wearing a dark suit and red tie, the president arrived at the polling station in New Castle at around 11:48 a.m., according to the White House. He was accompanied by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), who is running for Senate.
The president stood at the end of a line of more than 100 voters. While standing in line, he spoke with some voters and took selfies, according to the White House.
Biden waited in line for more than 30 minutes before casting his vote. When asked if it felt bittersweet, he responded to reporters, “This is sweet,” after voting.
Biden on July 21 ended his reelection bid via a signed letter posted on social media platform X, stating that this was “in the best interest” of his party and the country.
His decision to step aside marked the first time a sitting president had withdrawn from a presidential race since Lyndon B. Johnson did so in 1968.
In just a few weeks after Biden’s withdrawal from the race, Vice President Kamala Harris secured the Democratic nomination in a virtual roll of delegates, which concluded on Aug. 5.
The 81-year-old president had previously said he had no intention of leaving the race and assured the public for weeks that he would remain the Democratic nominee following his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump. However, he later reversed his position after significant pressure from some donors and elected Democrats who had come to believe that he would not win reelection.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in an interview with the Guardian in mid-October, said that she has not spoken with Biden since he dropped out of the race.
“I have the greatest respect for him. I think he’s one of the great consequential presidents of our country,” Pelosi said.
She admitted, however, that some advisers in Biden’s campaign may not have forgiven her for pressuring the president to exit the race.
With almost a week to go before Election Day, the race between Harris and Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, remains deadlocked nationally. Both candidates are making every effort to win over undecided voters in this crucial final week.
While recent polls suggest a close race, Harris’s upward momentum has largely slowed, with battleground state poll averages trending slightly in favor of Trump.
On Oct. 29, Harris will make her closing argument at the Ellipse in the nation’s capital. The vice president plans to convey a message to Americans about what a Harris presidency would look like compared to Trump’s presidency.
The Harris campaign chose the Ellipse, the park just outside the South Lawn of the White House, as a symbolic location. The venue was the site of a rally where then-President Trump spoke before attendees headed to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Harris held a campaign event with superstar singer Beyoncé on Oct. 25 in Houston, where she delivered remarks focused on abortion access. The event at the Shell Energy Stadium drew an estimated 30,000 people, according to her campaign.
Trump, on the other hand, delivered a campaign speech at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, drawing an estimated 25,000 supporters.
Harris on Oct 28 commented about Trump’s rally, telling reporters that the former president is “fanning the fuel of division in the country.”
After voting, Biden also commented on Trump’s speech at the Madison Square Garden.
“It’s embarrassing. Just simply embarrassing. It’s beneath any president,” Biden said, referring to Trump’s remarks about illegal immigrants.
The Epoch Times reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but didn’t receive a reply by publication time.
Biden headed back to Washington. In the evening, he is set to deliver a speech at a White House reception to honor Diwali, one of the major festivals celebrated in India and by Indian communities globally.
From The Epoch Times