From dismal debate to dropping out, the biggest moments leading to Biden’s decision

President Joe Biden announced Sunday he is ending his bid for reelection amid intense pressure from Democratic Party leaders who believe his path to beating former President Donald Trump had vanished.

Biden's decision has introduced uncertainty into the 2024 election, with Vice President Kamala Harris widely viewed as the most likely candidate to take Biden's place as the party's nominee. Biden endorsed Harris in a separate statement on X Sunday, with Harris responding that while she's honored to have Biden's endorsement, her "intention is to earn and win this nomination."

Here's a look at the timeline of events leading up to Biden's withdrawal from the race, starting with the June 27 debate.

June 27: Biden struggles in debate versus Trump

Biden's performance against Trump in the June 27 debate in Atlanta generated concern about his candidacy.

During the debate, Biden's voice was hoarse and raspy, and the president stumbled over words and had to correct himself with numbers. On one occasion, Biden appeared to lose his train of thought, stopped speaking and concluded with the line, "we finally beat Medicare."

After the debate, some Democrats immediately began to suggest he should bow out and allow another Democrat to run instead.

"That's a good man. He loves his country. He's doing the best that he can," said Van Jones, a Democratic political analyst for CNN. "But he had a test to meet tonight to restore confidence in the country and of the base, and he failed to do that."

Jones added: "We're still far from our convention. And there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward if he will allow us to do that."

July 3: Major Democratic donors want party to consider alternatives to Biden

On July 3, USA TODAY reported exclusively that a growing number of major Democratic donors and activists were uneasy at the prospect of Biden seeking reelection after his debate performance, especially with post-debate poll numbers suggesting voter displeasure with his candidacy.

Several major donors, who have pumped thousands into the Biden campaign, told USA TODAY that they were not given satisfactory answers as to what caused the poor performance.

“We were told he had a cold. Did he have an adverse reaction to a medication?” one donor said about Biden’s performance.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president had a cold but was not on cold medication during a press briefing with reporters on July 2.

As a follow-up to that response, when USA TODAY asked Jean-Pierre if there was any other medication the president had been taking, she replied, “I was asked about cold medication. He wasn’t taking any cold medicine and I don’t have anything beyond that to share.”

Those answers were termed “unsatisfactory” by donors.

July 5: A first call for Biden to consider withdrawing; President's sit-down interview with George Stephanopoulos

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on July 5 called for President Biden to evaluate whether he remains Democrats' best shot to defeat former President Donald Trump, becoming the first Democratic governor to signal publicly the party might be better off with a different nominee.

Healey, a Biden ally, was one of 10 Democratic governors who met days earlier with Biden at the White House while 14 other Democratic governors attended the meeting virtually. Healey was not among three governors who came out of the West Wing together afterward to speak to reporters and reaffirm their support for Biden following Biden's dismal debate performance on June 27.

"President Biden saved our democracy in 2020 and has done an outstanding job over the last four years. I am deeply grateful for his leadership. And I know he agrees this is the most important election of our lifetimes," Healey said in a statement.

"The best way forward right now is a decision for the President to make. Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump," she added.

On the same day, Biden dismissed concerns about his mental fitness and rejected calls to drop out of the election as he pushed back at detractors.

In an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos that aired on primetime television, he said he wouldn't withdraw from the race, downplaying his debate performance as a "bad night" because of fatigue and a "really bad cold."

The 22-minute interview was Biden's first on television following the debate.

July 9: Biden commits to serving full second term if he beats Trump

On July 9, when asked whether Biden committed to serving his full second four-year term if he defeated former President Donald Trump in November, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president would.

At this point, six House Democrats had said publicly that Biden should withdraw.

“I think it’s a legitimate question to say, ‘Is this an episode or is this a condition?’” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told MSNBC the week prior, adding that Trump should also consider withdrawing due to his age.

July 10: George Clooney says in op-ed that Democratic Party needs a new nominee

American actor George Clooney, a high-profile supporter of President Joe Biden, argued in an op-ed that the Democratic party needed a new nominee.

“We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate,” wrote Clooney in a New York Times piece published on July 10.

“This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and congress member and governor that I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly,” he added.

Clooney, a self-described lifelong Democrat, was among a group of A-list celebrities that co-hosted a glitzy Hollywood fundraiser last month for Biden’s campaign that brought in $30 million.

But in his op-ed, Clooney said Biden was not the same person at the fundraiser in Los Angeles that he’s known for years, writing that the one battle Biden can’t win is the “fight against time.”

July 11: NATO summit press conference

Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin," the leader of Russia, at the end of the NATO summit earlier this month.

"And now, I want to hand it to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin," Biden said as he introduced Zelenskyy at the summit in Washington.

Biden started to walk away from the lectern at the NATO event but quickly corrected himself. "President Putin ? he's going to beat President Putin. President Zelenskyy. I'm so focused on beating Putin, we've got to worry about it. Anyway."

Zelenskyy noticed the flub, telling Biden, "I'm better," as he shook Biden's hand before delivering remarks.

"You are a hell of a lot better," Biden responded.

July 15: Primetime interview after Trump assassination attempt

Biden said last Monday that he didn't know whether the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump changed the trajectory of the race.

"I don't know and you don't know, either," Biden told NBC’s Lester Holt in a primetime interview on July 15, just two days after the attempted assassination of Trump and and as the Republican National Convention got underway in Milwaukee.

Biden also rejected Republicans' accusations that he's engaged in divisive rhetoric that could have incited the gunman who opened fire at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. on July 13, killing one spectator and injuring two others.

After dialing back criticism of Trump in the immediate aftermath of Trump's assassination scare, Biden went back to making his case against a second Trump presidency in the interview, which was taped in the afternoon from the White House and aired later that night.

July 17: Prominent lawmaker calls for Biden to drop out of race; Biden tests positive for COVID

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 election last Wednesday, becoming the most prominent Democratic lawmaker so far to publicly push for a different presidential nominee.

In a statement Wednesday reported by the Los Angeles Times, Schiff said he has "serious concerns" that Biden can't beat former President Donald Trump in the November election.

Schiff, who is running for U.S. Senate in California, said Biden “has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a Senator, a Vice President, and now as President has made our country better."

“But our nation is at a crossroads,” he added. “A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

On the same day, Biden tested positive for COVID-19 following an event in Las Vegas, White House press secretary Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

“He is vaccinated and boosted, and he is experiencing mild symptoms,” she said.

Biden returned to his home in Delaware to self-isolate.

Shortly before testing positive, Biden was taking selfies and talking to customers at The Original Lindo Michoácan Restaurant as he campaigned in Las Vegas before he was set to appear at the UnidosUS conference.

July 21: Biden drops out of race, endorses Kamala Harris

Biden made the announcement from his home in Rehoboth Beach Sunday afternoon. He said he would speak to the nation later this week to provide more details about his decision.

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden said in a letter addressed to Americans. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down and to focus solely on my duties as President for the rest of my term."

In a separate statement, Biden endorsed Harris to be the party's presidential nominee.

"My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was the pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it's been the best decision I made," Biden said in the statement.

"Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee for our party this year. Democrats ? it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this," the statement concluded.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Michael Collins, Karissa Waddick, Marina Pitofsky, James Powel, Kathryn Palmer, Francesca Chambers, Sarah D. Wire, Rachel Barber, Sudiksha Kochi and Ben Adler, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden drops out: A timeline of major moments that led to the decision