After the presidential debate and the assassination attempt on Trump, the U.S. election saga enters a new episode: Biden drops out, Harris steps in.
Last Sunday, Biden abruptly announced he would drop out of the 2024 presidential race and give his full support to Vice President Harris.
Yesterday, Harris already held her campaign debut in Milwaukee, fiercely criticizing Trump and vowing that America will never return to the "chaos" of the Trump era.
Netizens exclaimed: The Simpsons' prophecy strikes again👇
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Biden's withdrawal: murky and mysterious
On July 21, Biden posted on Twitter: He had intended to seek reelection, but now believes dropping out is "in the best interest of my party and the country."
Staffers: ❓Just two days ago he had said he was returning to the campaign trail.
Elon Musk: "The White House found out Biden dropped out on Twitter😅"
Journalists forced to work overtime: one moment it's a happy weekend, the next they're back on duty.
Donors: Okay, we're pulling out. Our money doesn't grow on trees👋
But the whole affair is shrouded in mystery. Just last Wednesday, Biden claimed he had COVID and was isolating at home. He was supposed to return to the campaign shortly, but then a day later he suddenly dropped out.
His withdrawal statement even looks suspicious—no presidential seal, and the signature appears different.
After going over the timeline, netizens caught a whiff of conspiracy theories.
After all, he's the president of a major power; to hastily bow out via social media is really undignified. Supposedly he was isolating with COVID, but it's 2024, not 2020😅
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Trump clearly doesn't believe it: "Does anyone really think Biden has COVID?"
It looks less like COVID isolation and more like a soft coup to force him out.
Media figures question: "Who is really running this country?"
Some conspiracy theories even suspect Old Joe is already dead; Congresswoman Lauren Boebert demanded the White House provide "proof of life" for Biden.
Netizens imagined: "Biden was the last to know he dropped out🥺"
"Biden writing the withdrawal statement👇"
"Harris pressed send👇"
Elon Musk has been all over the rumor mill like a weasel in a melon patch:
"I told you, cutting out the middleman works best. Posting it yourself is the fastest."
"I heard the exact news about Biden dropping out last week; it was common knowledge in D.C."
Trump: "Wow, the Democrats are desperate, trying to turn the useless Biden into a tragic hero. Nice try."
"They restarted the campaign halfway through; can I get a refund?😅"
Trump's running mate J.D. Vance kept fanning the flames: "If you've got the guts to drop out, you've got the guts to resign."
Rival sniping can't compare to a backstab from your own teammate.
Harris's campaign team quickly set up an official account, and by the way, blew up Biden's campaign account😅
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Harris herself is brimming with confidence: "There are 105 days until the election. Together, we will win."
Media harshly judged: "Harris has no chance—she has no charisma and no time😅"
Netizens: Even Obama plus Clinton couldn't beat Trump now.
Trump: comfortably in the lead👌
Changing commanders at the last minute: a palace drama
The Democrats lost in the debates, and after Trump's assassination attempt, their momentum collapsed completely.
Fielding Harris at this point is a desperate survival move for the Democrats.
Both sides are battling and stacking buffs.
J.D. Vance: a small-town exam champion who clawed his way up from the bottom, plus an Iraq War veteran.
Harris: African-Asian descent + woman + immigrant family.
This card the Democrats are playing is mostly to court votes from minorities and immigrants; she may not be the final choice.
Harris has low support within the party, and polling in some key swing states is far from ideal.
Switching commanders at the last minute brings challenges of money, time, and morale; some blue states might even wobble or flip red.
Is the historic moment of California turning red coming?😅
But Harris's fundraising power is amazing; she's collected over $100 million in just two days.
Netizen: "Very inspirational. Four years ago her support was under 1%, now she's the nominee."
This Tuesday, the Democratic leaders of both chambers, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, announced their support for Harris.
Former President Obama has not yet publicly endorsed anyone, only saying the Democrats will nominate "an outstanding candidate."
Other hot favorites include:
California Governor Gavin Newsom
Former First Lady Michelle Obama
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Betting sites have already opened odds on each candidate's chances👇
Tech tycoons and billionaires are taking sides; capital markets are reshuffling.
Tesla founder Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI founder Sam Altman, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos have all thrown their weight behind Trump. For these traditionally blue-leaning tech giants, this marks a major shift.
Back when Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion, people mocked him as a sucker—maybe he's been playing a long game.
Political battles are also information wars. When mainstream media is so one-sided, controlling the narrative means controlling public opinion.
Zuckerberg also quickly caved in. In a program this past weekend, he openly said he admired Trump's bravery during the shooting.
Netizens: "Zuck is the modern-day Lü Bu, the bootlicker arrives late but never misses."
Trump survived the assassination attempt and cemented his legendary status in one stroke.
However, politics is full of twists and turns; with new variables introduced, who will come out on top is still an open question. This palace drama has already started to settle scores.
On Monday, the head of the U.S. Secret Service in the Trump near-assassination case, Kimberly Cheatle, was publicly grilled and announced her resignation the very next day.
She kept her lips tightly sealed. Under bipartisan bombardment, she stayed perfectly calm; her mantra was basically "we are investigating." After all, if she stays quiet, she only gets scolded; if she talks, she might get silenced for good😅
This Tuesday, Biden returned to the White House and, on Wednesday night, delivered his first speech since dropping out.
Whether this withdrawal drama can drum up sympathy votes remains to be seen.
Ultimately, people love the story of a resilient hero who refuses to die, not someone who rises from his deathbed only to keel over again.
Right now both sides are fighting to the death, and plenty more juicy revelations are coming.
Multiple forces are churning under the surface, and the resistance to Trump taking office is fierce. It's very possible the two sides will tear each other apart, and a third party will reap the benefits.
Big donors need a more obedient puppet, and clearly Trump has stepped on too many people's toes.
Musk's words might just prove prophetic:
"The real power is ditching the old puppet and switching to one more likely to fool the public. They fear Trump because he is not easily controlled."
Netizens: "Puppet uploading..."
And a bonus👇
House of Cards' Frank Underwood: No more pretending—I'm the 2024 president.
Study-abroad policies under Biden
As the Biden era closes, let's take a look back at his administration's policies affecting international students.
Once in office, Biden scrapped the Trump-era proposal to allocate H-1B visas based on wages and signaled he would relax the H-1B visa cap.
This year's H-1B lottery reform introduced the "one person, one entry" system, largely preventing the unfairness and wasted slots caused by massive duplicate registrations.
The America COMPETES Act of 2022 that Biden signed into law provides a clearer path to a green card for STEM international students.
In 2023, Biden signed an executive order recognizing the vital role of immigrants, international students, and high-skilled temporary visa holders in the field of artificial intelligence, aiming to attract more AI talent to stay in the U.S.
Last year, USCIS announced that F-1 visa holders would now be allowed to have immigrant intent, meaning F-1 students can directly apply for a green card.
Moreover, the Biden administration actively pushed for new EB immigration legislation; overall, these policies have been relatively friendly to international students.
Although Trump recently bucked tradition by saying all international graduates should be given green cards, given the hawks' usual stance, it's still more likely that a Democratic administration would be better for international students.
The situation changes constantly during election years; a new president might overturn previous policies.
As the study-abroad landscape keeps shifting, we suggest everyone make long-term plans and adjust expectations promptly to tackle the various challenges that may arise when studying in the U.S.
