Chris Coons cries as he praises Biden’s ‘brave’ decision to bow out of 2024 race

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) praised President Joe Biden’s “brave” decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, appearing very emotional as he spoke.

Coons, the co-chairman of the Biden-Harris campaign, made his statement while praising Vice President Kamala Harris, describing her as the best candidate to continue Biden’s work. The president himself has endorsed Harris as his replacement candidate, which was given shortly after he announced he was bowing out of the 2024 race.

“I admire, I respect, I love Joe Biden,” Coons said on CBS News. “I have worked my heart out for him on this campaign, and while this was a very hard decision, I deeply respect how it is a continuation of his lifetime of putting our country before himself. Joe Biden is the toughest fighter I’ve ever met.”

“Every time he’s been knocked down, he’s always got up again, and the challenge of seeing this moment and of recognizing what was in the best interest of the nation was a significant challenge. I still believe he could have beaten Donald Trump, but I also know that what he has done today is in the best interest of our nation,” he added.

Coons continued by stating that former President Donald Trump poses a “unique threat” against the United States. He also contended that the focus now should be on the fall 2024 campaign and preserving Biden’s presidential legacy that he claims Trump could end.

Later in the interview, Coons stopped speaking as he appeared visibly upset. He ended up continuing by adding that Biden’s “very difficult decision” to not seek reelection reflects his character.

Coons had been one of Biden’s most vocal supporters since the first presidential debate, which saw many people issue calls for the president to drop out of the 2024 race. After George Clooney called for Biden to bow out, Coons joked that he was “more of a Matt Damon guy.”

In the wake of Biden bowing out, Coons has joined Biden in endorsing Harris as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee. 

Trump wrote in his own statement about the news that the June 27 debate between him and Biden was “the big moment” in Biden’s demise, as this was when voters saw him as “an incompetent man who should never have been President.” The former president officially became the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention.