--- title: Why It's Time for Biden to Step Aside for Democrats description: "Do the historic thing, President Joe Biden. Give the Democratic Party our independence," writes Caroline Randall Williams. canonical: https://time.com/6993970/why-biden-must-step-aside-for-democrats/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-06-30T13:22:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:26.154Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Column: It's Time for Biden to Step Aside og:description: "Do the historic thing, President Biden. Give the Democratic Party our independence," writes Caroline Randall Williams. og:url: https://time.com/6993970/why-biden-must-step-aside-for-democrats/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt82590a3b6c85065a/698a5852929fad3303bfcb0b/GettyImages-2159612205.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Donald Trump And Joe Biden Participate In First Presidential Debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Column: It's Time for Biden to Step Aside twitter:description: "Do the historic thing, President Biden. Give the Democratic Party our independence," writes Caroline Randall Williams. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt82590a3b6c85065a/698a5852929fad3303bfcb0b/GettyImages-2159612205.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # It's Time for Biden to Step Aside and Give Democrats Their Independence This July 4 > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: These Are the Biggest Moments From the First 2024 Presidential Debate [Watch (HLS stream): These Are the Biggest Moments From the First 2024 Presidential Debate](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aYKZlt9t.m3u8) (2:59)  _Published 2024-06-28. Awkward exchanges, personal jabs, and falsehoods dominated the CNN Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump._ by [Caroline Randall Williams](https://time.com/author/caroline-randall-williams/) ## Caroline Randall Williams Jun 30, 2024 1:22 PM UTC  President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the first presidential debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the first presidential debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images by [Caroline Randall Williams](https://time.com/author/caroline-randall-williams/) ## Caroline Randall Williams Jun 30, 2024 1:22 PM UTC Do the historic thing, [President Joe Biden.](https://time.com/6993760/joe-biden-debate-disaster-democratic-panic/) Give the Democratic Party our independence. It would be the most executive order the world has ever seen. It is utterly within your power to give America its first woman President. Grant history that gift. Grant your legacy that gift. It would complete a career defining, democracy celebrating suite of sound service. You were the first man to follow a Black man into the Oval Office, the first Vice President to serve under a President of color. You were the first President to serve with a Black Vice President, and the first President to serve with a female Vice President. What better way to complete this progressive apotheosis than to hand the reins over to that same, wildly capable, utterly prepared professional partner of yours? Let [Kamala Harris](https://time.com/6249434/kamala-harris-abortion-powerful-asset/) become the first female President of the United States. Let it be on your terms, with your blessing. Don’t let this devolve. Seize the magnitude and the potential of this moment. It would be the most noble, transformative gesture many of us could imagine. Open the field back up, like you [seemed to indicate you would](https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/11/biden-single-term-082129) when you first ran. Let Vice President Harris see us to the convention in August, and then let the delegates look with fresh eyes at the pool, and decide who will see us through to November. If you drag us through the next five months, most of us will hang in with you, but we will be weary, disappointed, and chagrined by what can only start to feel like a certain degree of hubris on the part of your campaign. And if the outcome is not what we hope, the good-hearted, value-driven bipartisan spirit of your last 40 years will be reduced to the single truth that you lead us into an uncharted abyss of four more years with a man who is, by all scrupulous accounts, [an enemy to the constitution](https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/03/politics/trump-constitution-truth-social/index.html) and to democracy itself. We trusted you. We are putting our hope in your hands once more. You are already a history maker and a man of loyalty, competence, and fortitude. Surprise us all with one last act of profound service, optimism, and imagination. Do the thing the other side is counting on you not to. See past ego into the world of elemental legacy. What I’m calling for now is a historic act of humility, self-sacrifice, and good faith. Don’t risk going down fighting when there are ready and able standard bearers who are still fresh for the race, and could lead the side to a more decisive victory. At least then, no matter the outcome, we will know you did everything you could, and more importantly, we will know you are still a man able to be moved by the will of your people, and a man good to his [first word](https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/11/biden-single-term-082129). ## Transcript If I'm elected, I'm going to restore Ro Wade. So that means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month and even after birth, because some states, Democrat run, take it after birth. Again, the governor former governor of Virginia, put the baby down then we decide what to do with it. Get the total ban on the total initiative relative to what we're going to do with more border patrol and more asylum officers. President Trump. I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either. Look, Hamas cannot be allowed to be continued. We continue to send our experts and our intelligence people as to how they can get Hamas like we did Bin Laden. But he said the only one who wants to keep going is Hamas. Actually, Israel is the one, and you should let him go and let him finish the job. He doesn't want to do it. He's become like a Palestinian, but they don't like him because he's a very bad Palestinian. He's a weak one. On January 6, we had a great border. Nobody coming through, very few. On January 6, we were energy independent. On January 6, we had the lowest taxes ever. We had the lowest regulations ever. On January 6, we were respected all over the world, all over the world, we were respected. And then he comes in, and we're now left at. We're like, a bunch of stupid people. I said peacefully and patriotically. He encouraged those folks to go up at Capitol Hill, number one. I sat in the dining room off the Oval office. He sat there for 3 hours, 3 hours watching, begging, being begged by his vice president. The only person on this stage is a convicted felon is the man I'm looking at right now. And the fact of the matter is, he is what he's telling you is simply not true. But when he talks about a convicted felon, his son is a convicted felon, at a very high level. His son is convicted. Gonna be convicted probably numerous other times. Should have been convicted before, but his justice department let the statute of limitations lapse on the most important things. How many billions of dollars do you owe in civil penalties for molesting a woman in public, for doing a whole range of things of having sex with a porn star on the night while your wife was pregnant. I mean, what are he talking about? You have the morals of an alley cat. Give you a minute, sir. I didn't have sex with a Porn Star, number one. Number two, that was a case that was started and moved. And, by the way, I told you before, I'm happy to play golf if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it? That's the biggest lie. He's a six handicap of all. I was eight handicap. Yeah. Eight You know how many I've seen you swing. I know you swing. Let's's act like children. President Trump we're going to. Let's not act like children. Pacific. Russia would have never attacked In preside. The question was, will you accept the results of the election, regardless of who wins? Yes or no, please. If it's a fair and legal and good election, absolutely. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6993970/why-biden-must-step-aside-for-democrats/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6993970/why-biden-must-step-aside-for-democrats/"},"headline":"It's Time for Biden to Step Aside and Give Democrats Their Independence This July 4","datePublished":"2024-06-30T13:22:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:50:26.154Z","description":"\"Do the historic thing, President Joe Biden. 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