Does he also have to resign as US President immediately?

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Lerato Khumalo

The most important goal is to beat Donald Trump in November. That’s what leading US Democrats keep saying. Because they no longer trust Joe Biden to do it, he has had to withdraw his candidacy for another term.

That is probably his party’s top priority. But that is far too simplistic. The most important question for the USA is a different one: who is the best possible US president? And that question arises immediately, not in November.

Donald Trump, Kamala Harris or whoever: Joe Biden’s successor will – as things stand – not move into the Oval Office until January 20. In six months. An eternity for an aged man who is suffering from Covid and already seems alarmingly tired of office.

And until then? Americans expect leadership. Inspiration. Answers to their most pressing questions: What can we do about inflation? What can we do about the migration problem? Who will unite a country that is so deeply divided that some are even talking about a looming civil war?

Joe Biden will not be able to provide any answers to these questions in the next six months. He no longer has the strength to do so. And he knows it, otherwise he would never have withdrawn his candidacy. But six months of standstill – that is a horror scenario for America. Six months of fatigue and helplessness will bring the country to the brink. If Joe Biden is no longer fit enough for four months of successful campaigning against Donald Trump, then he is certainly no longer strong enough for six months as US President.

Kamala Harris must take over the job in the White House immediately. She knows the issues, is well-trained, and is bursting with energy and ambition. And with the incumbent bonus (instead of a stopgap measure), she would also have a better chance of defeating Donald Trump at the ballot box in November.