Cabinet was only informed of Biden’s decision to drop out after it was public

President Joe Biden’s Cabinet was not notified of his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential election before it was announced publicly.

While the president has faced calls for him to end his reelection bid for several weeks, he gave few indications that he would be coming to the conclusion to drop out when he announced it via social media Sunday afternoon.

Jeff Zients, Biden’s chief of staff, led a call with Cabinet officials after Biden’s statement went out, according to a person familiar with the call. The Pentagon confirmed Monday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was notified during a call with other Cabinet officials.

“The secretary was notified after, briefly after the announcement. The White House notified Cabinet officials, and so the secretary was not notified in advance,” Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters Monday.

“The White House conducted a call with Cabinet officials after the announcement, shortly after the announcement, which the secretary was a part of,” he later added.

Austin released a lengthy statement Sunday evening following Biden’s announcement celebrating his achievements.

“President Biden is an extraordinary guardian of America’s national security. I am deeply grateful for his leadership and statesmanship. He has a secure place in American history as one of our great foreign-policy presidents,” the secretary said. “President Biden has always understood that America’s greatest strategic advantage is our people, and he has sought to make America even stronger and more secure by drawing on the full talents of all of our citizenry.”

The secretary has not spoken with Vice President Kamala Harris, the overwhelming favorite to lead the Democrats’ 2024 presidential ticket with Biden’s endorsement, since the president announced his decision, Ryder added.

The president seemingly forgot Austin’s name last week in an interview, referring to the secretary as “the black man” instead of by name.