Trump claims Biden’s exit from 2024 race was a ‘coup’

PTI, Jul 28, 2024, 11:50 AM IST

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said incumbent US President Joe Biden was forced to exit the presidential race, describing it a “coup” by the Democratic Party.

The former president’s remarks came during an election rally in Minnesota on Saturday.

“This was really a coup of and by the Democrats. This was a coup of a man that had 14 million votes. He wanted to run. They wouldn’t let him run. They treated him horribly. They said to him, we can do it the nice way, or we can do it the hard way. To Joe, he’s president,” Trump claimed.

This was a coup with the presidency, he said.

“They threatened him with the 25th Amendment. They said, Joe, we’re going to threaten you with the 25th Amendment. You’re cognitively and physically a mess. And if you don’t get out, we’re going to take you out with the 25th Amendment,” Trump, 78, alleged.

The 25th Amendment of the US Constitution was passed by Congress to determine the presidential succession after the assassination of former President John F Kennedy.

It also gives power to the vice president as well as the Cabinet to remove a president from office if they are deemed physically incapable.

“And he said, I’ll go. And then the fake news said, oh, he was so brave. He was so brave. No, he was forced to leave,” Trump claimed.

Biden, 81, on July 20 announced his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential elections and endorsed Kamala Harris as Democratic Presidential nominee.

This followed a series of fast-moving developments after his disastrous debate performance in Atlanta on June 27 and a failed assassination attempt on Trump. Both the developments resulted in a sharp drop in the popularity rating of Biden, which made the Democrats worried and they started feeling a Trump wave sweeping the nation.

After Biden’s exit and his Vice President Harris taking over, the Democrats have regained the momentum and are giving a tough fight to Trump.