In a historic moment, Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday. In doing so, he pledged to continue to serve out his term, a decision that will no doubt cause waves in the coming weeks given the obvious contradiction concerning his condition. 

SEE: President Joe Biden Drops Out of the Presidential Race, Will Remain on As President

With that said, his initial announcement did not endorse Kamala Harris. That changed quickly, though, and Biden has now officially endorsed his vice president to become the Democratic Party presidential nominee. That's bad news for Democrat operatives who were hoping to bypass her for someone more electable by holding a "mini-primary."

My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

Does this mean Harris is automatically the nominee? The answer is no, but what this does is paint Democrats into a corner. With Biden having stepped aside, he's already done them a massive favor. For there to be any movement against Harris at this point would cause a huge rift within the Democratic Party. Yes, she's deeply unpopular and losing to Trump according to the current polling, but she's the vice president and she checks way too many intersectional boxes to be pushed aside. 

In short, this could get really ugly going forward. Either Harris is coronated and there's some semblance of unity within the party or others step up to challenge her and you've got chaos. The Democratic Party is a fractured mess of different factions, and African Americans are one of the most powerful within it. To slight them would be a disaster. 

Regardless, no American voter should forget who lied to them. If the nominee does end up being Kamala Harris, she knew about Biden's condition. She was in the administration that covered it up and trashed anyone who dared question the official narrative. She is culpable, and the fact that she misled voters is a genuine scandal. This fight is just beginning.