Democracy Dies in Darkness

Business leaders, pro-Democracy activists send letter asking Biden to withdraw

The letter sent to the White House is the latest outreach from the donor and activist community pushing for a new nominee after the president’s debate performance.

By Michael Scherer

July 5, 2024 at 11:43 a.m. EDT

President Biden watches the Fourth of July fireworks from the White House balcony. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post)

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A prominent group of political donors, civic leaders and business executives founded to protect the institutions of American democracy sent a letter Friday morning to President Biden calling on him to “cement your legacy” by ending his bid for reelection.

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“We respectfully urge you to withdraw from being a candidate for reelection for the sake of our democracy and the future of our nation,” wrote 168 signatories to the private letter, which continued to gain signatures after its delivery to senior White House officials.

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By Michael Scherer

Michael Scherer is a national political reporter at The Washington Post. He was previously the Washington bureau chief for Time magazine, where he also served as the White House correspondent. Before joining Time, he was the Washington correspondent for Salon.com.Twitter

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