A wild conspiracy theory has begun circulating on social media that claims that President Biden did not sign his resignation letter. The 81-year-old announced he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race by sharing a letter on his social media accounts on Sunday afternoon.
However, speculation has since increased, with conspiracy theorists questioning the letter's authenticity and suggesting that Biden may not have actually signed it himself. The letter shared on Sunday shows Biden's signature with his name underlined, a detail some commentators claim he has never used before. Billionaire Bill Ackman is among those promoting the theory online, frequently reposting various analyses of the signature on his X account.
Biden's Resignation Letter in Focus
Ackman, 58, shared a post that read: "Lmao there's no way Biden didn't even sign the letter," accompanied by an image showing various versions of his signature.
Another person posted: "Yikes. Look at the B, totally different between the latest version and the previous ones.
"The Jr. is also left off the most recent 'signature'. Wikipedia has an odd practice of including signatures, their copy also does not match the letter.
"So now the question is not just who wrote the letter, but who signed it? This really does look like a coup."
Another person wrote: "Now this is a conspiracy theory I can get behind. Biden is dead or some s***."
Donors had withdrawn millions in funds, the list of Democrats urging him to step down was expanding daily, and polls indicated that his chances of defeating Donald Trump were diminishing following a poor debate performance.
Jill Biden was present when her husband ultimately made the historic decision, succumbing to the growing pressure.
A spokesperson for the First Lady said that the decision was solely the president's and confirmed it was made late.
Still too Many Doubts
In an interview with CBS, Frank Biden, the president's younger brother, indicated that the president's health influenced his decision to step down. He told the outlet: "I'm incredibly proud of my brother. Selfishly, I will have him back to enjoy whatever time we have left."
This phrasing led Ackman and others to speculate that Biden might have an undisclosed health issue.
A leading Parkinson's disease specialist has visited the White House several times this year, though officials have maintained that Biden is in good health.
"He is a genuine hero, country over self, it sounds corny in our cynical political environment but he nor I are cynical," Frank's statement continued.
"The goal remains the same, defeat Trump and continue the work that Joe has done. My hope is that our party rally's around this heroic act."
When asked by the outlet if his brother's overall health influenced his decision to withdraw from the re-election race, Frank Biden responded, "In my humble opinion, absolutely."
On Saturday evening, Biden brought in two long-time advisers, Steve Ricchetti and Mike Donilon, who had been with him since his political beginnings.
Ricchetti and Donilon presented Biden with alarming new data that played a crucial role in his decision. They shared the most recent internal campaign polling taken since the debate, which indicated he could no longer win against Trump.
Following this, Biden made his decision and instructed Ricchetti and Donilon to draft a resignation letter and plan the public announcement. He also began informing his family.
After Biden's announcement, Kamala Harris declared her intention to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
