The letter signed by President Joe Biden announcing he would be dropping out of the 2024 presidential race left both White House and his campaign aides stunned.

Up until 1:46 pm ET, when the letter was posted to X, many in the president’s camp were insisting he stay in the race. The announcement came as a shock, with many senior aides first finding out about the development after the letter had been posted to X, according to Politico.

“We’re all finding out by tweet,” one Democrat told Politico. “None of us understand what’s happening.”

According to one source who spoke with ABC News, the only notice Biden gave to his senior team about staying in the race was given one minute before going public.

At 1:45 pm ET on Sunday, Biden told his team he would drop out. A minute later, he made the announcement public, the source said.

But as recently as Saturday night, according to the source, Biden’s message had been he was in it to win it.

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