2024 US Election: What if Joe Biden or Donald Trump leave the presidential race?
Biden vs Trump: The lineup in the 2024 US election has long been a foregone conclusion, with a rematch between the two presidents appearing all but certain. But what would happen if, for any number of reasons, one of the two contenders does not end up taking part in the November vote? Apart from immense political confusion, here is what would happen, according to the rules and experts: What would cause President Joe Biden, an 81-year-old Democrat, or ex-president Donald Trump, the 77-year-old Republican, not to be on the ballot? Age for one.
Either candidate would enter office in January 2025 as the oldest US president ever. Although neither has reported any serious health issues, statistics suggest that both face heightened risk of mortality or serious medical incident because of their advancing years.
What about a voluntary withdrawal? "It's a fabulously ridiculous fantasy," said Rachel Bitecofer, a Democratic political strategist. Even if Republicans wanted to change their rules and switch candidates -- if, for example, polls took a disastrous turn following a Trump legal conviction -- "they still wouldn't, because it'd cause a total meltdown in their base." Biden regularly asserts that he is the best qualified candidate, despite polls that indicate that his age is off-putting to voters.
"What are you supposed to say -- 'Oh, he's fine, he's going to run a triathlon tomorrow'? I mean, he's 81 years old," said Democratic congressman Adam Smith. Still, "nobody of note decided to run against him, so here we are." Trump meanwhile insists he will run despite possible criminal conviction before the election which theoretically could see him face decades in prison.
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