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Madison Czopek
By Madison Czopek July 9, 2024

No, a July 3 CNN report did not say Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race

If Your Time is short

  • As of July 9, neither President Joe Biden nor his campaign have announced that Biden is exiting the 2024 presidential race.

  • A CNN spokesperson told PolitiFact that CNN did not report on July 3 that Biden was dropping out, or that Hunter Biden would replace him. 

  • In a July 8 letter to congressional Democrats and in multiple social media posts, Biden has reiterated that he will continue his reelection bid.

Speculation that President Joe Biden might drop out of the 2024 presidential race has intensified since his June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump. 

One July 3 Threads post claimed CNN reported there had been a shakeup with the Democratic ticket involving multiple members of the Biden family. 

"Breaking News: After long discussions within the family today, Joe has decided to drop out of the 2024 Presidential race and will be replaced by Hunter Biden," the post read. "Hunter’s VP will be Jill Biden…" 

The post included an image of Hunter Biden, the CNN logo and Jill Biden above the words, "Breaking News Biden/Biden 2024." 

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

(Screenshot from Threads)

CNN spokesperson Emily Kuhn told PolitiFact on July 9 that CNN did not report July 3, the date of the Threads post, that Biden was dropping out of the race. The image shared on Threads that included CNN’s logo was fabricated, she said.

In recent days, Biden has repeatedly used forceful language to dismiss the idea that he will drop out of the race. 

"I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," Biden wrote in a July 8 letter to congressional Democrats. 

Biden wrote that he’d had many conversations with party leadership, elected Democrats and Democratic voters, and he had heard and understood their concerns.

"I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024," he wrote. "We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively."

Biden echoed these sentiments in posts on his social media accounts. 

"In Wisconsin yesterday I made it clear: I plan to win this state and win this election," he wrote in a July 6 post on X.

He directly addressed criticisms about his debate performance in a July 5 Facebook post

"I’m not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three and a half years of work," Biden said. "I’m staying in the race, and I will beat Donald Trump."

During a July 8 phone interview on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe," Biden also said that he would remain in the race: "I am not going anywhere."

We rate the claim that CNN reported on July 3 that Biden plans to drop out of the 2024 presidential race False.

RELATED: No, as of July 1, President Joe Biden hadn’t ‘quit’ his reelection campaign

Our Sources

Threads post, July 3, 2024

Emailed statement from Emily Kuhn, a CNN spokesperson, July 9, 2024

The New York Times, Biden Says He Is ‘Firmly Committed’ to Staying in the Race, July 8, 2024

Joe Biden’s letter to congressional Democrats, July 8, 2024

Joe Biden’s post on X, July 8, 2024

Joe Biden’s post on X, July 6, 2024

Joe Biden’s post on X, July 6, 2024

Joe Biden’s post on X, July 6, 2024

Joe Biden’s post on Facebook, July 5, 2024

PolitiFact, No, as of July 1, President Joe Biden hadn’t ‘quit’ his reelection campaign, July 1, 2024

MSNBC, 'I am not going anywhere': Biden confirms he's staying in 2024 race, July 8, 2024

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No, a July 3 CNN report did not say Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race

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