Biden drops out: European leaders react

Joe Biden announced on Sunday he would not be seeking re-election as U.S. president in the country’s November election, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to run in his stead.

European leaders reacted to the news across sites such as Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram.

Their responses fell into three broad categories: those praising Biden for his decision, those using the moment to express confidence in Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and those who appeared to simply enjoy being online during such an important moment.

The Biden fanclub

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X: “My friend @POTUS Joe Biden has achieved a lot: for his country, for Europe, for the world. Thanks to him, transatlantic cooperation is close, NATO is strong and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us. His decision not to run again deserves respect.”

Polish PM Donald Tusk also praised Biden on X: “You’ve taken many difficult decisions thanks to which Poland, America and the world are safer, and democracy stronger. I know you were driven by the same motivations when announcing your final decision. Probably the most difficult one in your life.”

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he respected Biden’s decision, adding on X: “I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, he will have made his decision based on what he believes is best for the American people.”

Czech PM Petr Fiala tweeted: “It is undoubtedly the decision of a statesman who has served his country for decades. It is a responsible and personally difficult step, but it is all the more valuable. My fingers are crossed for the USA that a good President will emerge from a democratic contest between two strong and equal candidates.”

Aurore Lalucq, an MEP for the Socialists & Democrats group and soon-to-be leader of the Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, tweeted: “A great president, definitely.”

Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni went one step further in an Instagram post, thanking Biden for his service and revealing a figurine of Kamala Harris, which he says lives on his desk in Brussels.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X: “My friend @POTUS Joe Biden has achieved a lot.” | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Biden bashers

U.K. Reform Party leader and European rabble-rouser Nigel Farage managed both a told-you-so and a we-got-this in a post on X: “I predicted this would happen in September 2023,” he wrote. “Whoever they pick, Trump will win in November.”

Maximilian Krah, a leading MEP in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), tweeted: “This will not stop Trump either.”

For Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who often plays the role of the Kremlin’s attack dog, Biden’s stepping down isn’t enough.

She wrote on Telegram: “The next step after Biden’s written statement about him dropping out of the electoral race should be an investigation into collusion between the American media and certain political circles to cover up the truth about his mental condition [to] manipulate public opinion to the benefit of one political party.”

Her thoughts on what should come next were notably similar to Trump’s post on his social network, Truth Social.

Just along for the ride

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs was among the first to react publicly, tweeting: “Politics has never been so interesting.”