Obama offers statement of support after Biden drops out of 2024 race: 'Patriot of the highest order'

Former President Barack Obama released a statement Sunday afternoon, praising President Biden after he dropped out of the 2024 race.

Obama referred to Biden as a "dear friend and partner" as well as a "patriot of the highest order."

"Sixteen years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I knew about Joe’s remarkable career in public service. But what I came to admire even more was his character — his deep empathy and hard-earned resilience; his fundamental decency and belief that everyone counts," Obama said.

The former president also cited Biden's track record in the 3½ years he has served as commander-in-chief, saying "he helped end the pandemic, created millions of jobs, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, passed the first major piece of gun safety legislation in 30 years, made the biggest investment to address climate change in history, and fought to ensure the rights of working people to organize for fair wages and benefits."

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Obama also referenced former President Donald Trump in his statement, referring to the 45th president's administration as "four years of chaos, falsehood, and division."

While Obama referred to President Biden's track record as "outstanding," he said "Joe understands better than anyone the stakes in this election."

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Obama stressed that "everything that the Democratic Party stands for, will be at risk if we allow Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans control of Congress."

"I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight. For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his