Trump calls Biden's withdrawal a 'coup' engineered by Democratic leaders

On Fox News' Fox & Friends on July 25, 2024, the morning after Biden's Oval Office address announcing his withdrawal from the race, Trump said: "I think it was a coup. They didn't want him running. He was way down in the polls, and they thought he was going to lose." He further claimed Democratic leaders "forced him out between Pelosi and Obama and some others," asserting public statements of support for Biden had been insincere. Trump had first floated the framing on July 21-22, telling reporters "sort of, yeah" when asked if it was a coup, while JD Vance and Sen. Tom Cotton echoed the term. Political scientists interviewed by PolitiFact said the episode does not meet the standard definition of a coup, which requires an irregular, often violent seizure of power; Biden withdrew voluntarily, remained in office, and Democrats followed party rules to replace him on the ticket.

“I think it was a coup. They didn't want him running. He was way down in the polls, and they thought he was going to lose.” Quote verified against source