Musicians and celebrities are reacting to President Joe Biden announcing that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
On Sunday afternoon (July 21), just weeks after a disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump, Biden shared a letter on social media noting that he is ending his bid for a second term in the White House and he will focus on fulfilling his duties as president for the remainder of his term.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden, 81, wrote in the letter addressed to “My Fellow Americans.”
In another post minutes later, the embattled commander-in-chief, who is recovering from COVID, officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new presidential nominee.
In recent weeks, Biden has faced mounting pressure from Democratic leaders to drop out of the race. Up until Sunday, the president had insisted that he would remain in the race unless polling data showed him that a victory was impossible or that his health wouldn’t allow it.
Following the news, musical artists like Barbra Streisand, Cardi B, Cher, Lizzo, and many others took to social media to share their reactions.
“Joe Biden will go down in history as a man who accomplished significant achievements in his 4 year term,” Streisand, a longtime Biden supporter, wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We should be grateful for his upholding of our democracy.”
Cardi B reposted a video of herself commenting on Biden’s dismal performance against Trump during a debate in Atlanta in late June.
“AHAHAHAHA LETS GOOOOO I TOLD YALLL KAMALA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE 2024 candidate…..STOP F–IN PLAYIN WITH ME !!!!!!!” Cardi captioned the clip on X.
Cher, who released the song “Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe” in 2020, noted that Biden’s withdrawal from the upcoming presidential race was a wise move for the Democratic Party.
“I Believe Its Only Chance 4 [American flag emoji] 2 Remain DEMOCRACY. DEM PARTY MUST’REALLY,’ ‘REALLY’ THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX,” Cher wrote on X. “‘WINNING IS ALL’,DONT WIN CANT CHANGE ANYTHING & THE TIMES THEY MUST BE A CHANGIN.”
Other artists like Ariana Grande, Rosanne Cash and Kristin Chenoweth relayed their respect for the president’s decision on their respective Instagram Stories. See more artist reactions to Biden dropping out of the presidential race below.