President Biden announced on Sunday that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party's nominee.
It triggered immediate reaction from the American people, including officials in South Florida.
Among the first of local leaders to react, was Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who praised Biden for his work and expressed support for Harris.
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Voters are trying to process the major change of plans, including Miami-Dade resident and undecided voter Daniel Almeida.
“He’s not in the best of mindset probably but I was still shocked they made the announcement this late in the game,” Almeida told NBC6.
Others say they aren't surprised by Biden's change of heart.
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“I wasn’t surprised. I think over the past four years we’ve seen his mental capability is not there to run the country," Republican voter Alexander Rodriguez said. "I think its crazy that a debate about a month ago is how the rest of the country realized that he’s not all there to actually run a country.”
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez took to Instagram, thanking President Biden for his service while emphasizing his continued support for GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump.
Democratic Analyst Maribel Balbin reacted to Biden dropping out of the race, saying there is now a long road ahead for the party.
"There is a vote that needs to happen to see if she [Harris] will be the candidate, so there's a lot of work ahead of us right now as democrats," Balbin told NBC6.
She also expressed hope for more Americans to vote blue following Sunday's announcement.
"As a democrat, I just feel confident in the fact that this is the decision that the president took," Balbin added. "Hopefully it's the best for the party and we hope to see a unification and also maybe bringing new voters – the voters that were not totally happy and excited about the president's candidacy, especially the young voters."
Meanwhile, some Republican officials argue the president shouldn't wait until his term is over to step down.
"If Joe Biden isn't capable enough to seek re-election, he's not capable enough to remain serving as out President," said Rep. Carlos Gimenez. "President Biden does not have the capacity to be the President of the United States. Our enemies are seeing this, and it puts America at risk. America is less safe than ever before because Biden has proven to be a weak leader. For the good of the country, Joe Biden should step down and resign."
Meanwhile, multiple Democrats are shifting their focus to supporting the Vice President as she begins her run for the White House.
Democratic Leader of the Florida Senate Lauren Book posted a statement to X, endorsing Harris for President.
State Representative Ashley V. Gantt also reacted on X, thanking the president for his service.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava posted a statement to her personal X account, praising Biden for his leadership and crediting him for some of the county's growth over the last few years.
Political analyst Dr. Susan Macmanus believes President Biden’s decision has a trickle-down effect on Florida lawmakers.
“There are a lot of democratic candidates running for congressional seats, state legislative seats, a lot of local positions in Florida that were worried about Biden dragging them down, so one of the things democrats will be emboldened about is it will give them a better shot of winning some races that polls showed they were trailing in,” Dr. MacManus said.
This is a developing story. Check back with NBC6 for updates.
