LONDON — World leaders expressed respect and admiration for President Biden on Sunday after he announced he was ending his reelection campaign, a momentous decision that reshapes the race for the White House and resonated far beyond Washington.
Israeli officials were among the first to offer their praise, with President Isaac Herzog thanking Biden for his “friendship and steadfast support” and hailing the 81-year-old as “a true ally of the Jewish people” in a post on X.
Since the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, Biden has been a staunch supporter of Israel’s war in Gaza, though he has also clashed repeatedly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over humanitarian aid deliveries and the toll of the conflict on Palestinian civilians. Netanyahu, who is scheduled to land in Washington on Monday and address Congress on Wednesday, had no immediate reaction to Biden’s announcement.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant thanked Biden for his “unwavering support” and said the president’s “steadfast backing” in the war against Hamas has been “invaluable.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid kept his response brief, posting an image of himself grinning and fist-bumping Biden alongside the caption: “Thank you.”
Biden has also been a firm backer of Ukraine and its efforts to repel Russia’s 2022 invasion, supplying Kyiv with American weapons and diplomatic support despite mounting opposition from congressional Republicans.
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“He supported our country during the most dramatic moment in history, assisted us in preventing Putin from occupying our country, and has continued to support us throughout this terrible war,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was circumspect, noting that “a lot can change” in the four months until voters go to the polls in November. Russia will “pay attention and watch what happens next,” he added.
In the United Kingdom, new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he respected Biden’s decision.
“I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people,” Starmer said.
Starmer, who met with Biden earlier this month in Washington, said he looked forward to working with him during the final months of his presidency.
Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak applauded Biden’s “love for America and dedication to service.”
Nigel Farage, a member of Britain’s Parliament and leader of the right-wing party Reform UK, took a different tone: “Whoever they pick, Trump will win in November,” he posted on X.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz thanked Biden for strengthening NATO and supporting “transatlantic cooperation,” writing on X that Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race “deserves recognition.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Biden “a partner to Canadians — and a true friend”; Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, noted that under Biden, his country’s relationship with the United States had “never been stronger.”
Ireland’s prime minister, Simon Harris, called Biden “a voice for reason, effective multilateralism and shared solutions,” in a statement posted to X.
Biden, whose family has roots in Ireland, visited the country last year. One of his final stops was at Mayo Roscommon Hospice, where a plaque commemorates his late son Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015.
“Mr President, Ireland will protect the piece of your son Beau’s legacy that you left in County Mayo,” Harris wrote Sunday.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called Biden’s decision “brave and dignified” and credited him for supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression. “A great gesture from a great president who has always fought for democracy and freedom,” Sánchez tweeted on Sunday.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala described Biden’s move as a “difficult step” and expressed hope that a “good president” will emerge from a race between two “strong and equal candidates” in November.
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, commended Biden for another difficult decision in a long career of them and for making “democracy stronger.”
Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, meanwhile, singled out Biden’s “leadership of the West.”
As Biden endorsed Vice President Harris to take his place at the top of the ticket, and Washington wrestled with the sweeping implications of his decision to step aside from the race, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics summed up the reaction of many: “Politics has never been so interesting,” he wrote on X.
Seth reported from New York.
