Relief, raw nerves from Long Islanders as President Biden drops out of 2024 White House race

John-Paul Maniscalco was at his Dix Hills home preparing for a picnic Sunday when his phone buzzed with a notification that President Joe Biden had dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House.

Maniscalco, 40, was relieved but with a caveat: Considering Biden's halting CNN debate performance last month against former President Donald Trump, the change should have been made sooner.

"I think the writing was on the wall long before the slip-up at the debate," said Maniscalco, a Democrat. "I’d like to see two candidates that aren’t super old and are not liars and felons. I wish Trump would drop out too and then we would have two people who might be reasonable."

Long Islanders opine

Whether on the boardwalk at Long Beach, the main drag of Patchogue Village, or at a picnic in the park in East Meadow, Long Islanders weighed in on Biden's departure from the campaign trail, with many Democrats expressing relief that nation's 46th president would not seek reelection and urging the party to rally around Vice President Kamala Harris.

Others, including many Republicans, said the die was already cast and that former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee, would defeat whoever emerges from the Democratic nominating process and return to the White House.

Andrew Reiss, 35, and his wife, Megan Reiss, 34, both Democrats from Oceanside, breathed sighs of relief.

Biden dropping out, Andrew Reiss said, "is probably for the best. Hoping the next person they nominate will be able to take on the opposition."

Megan Reiss said she was excited about Harris' candidacy, noting: "The prospect of having her as the first woman president would be huge."

Biden, 81, shook up the 2024 presidential campaign with his announcement he would not seek a second term.

He had faced intense pressure to drop out of the race since his widely panned debate performance. Biden on Sunday endorsed Harris, 59, to face Trump, 78, in November. 

If Harris secures the Democratic nomination at next month's party convention, she will be the first Black woman to lead the ticket for a major political party.

The better option

Craig St. Denis, 51, of Patchogue, called Biden’s decision to drop out "strategically the better option" for the Democratic Party, citing the president's likelihood of losing in November.

"That debate performance was about the worst political thing I’ve ever seen," said St. Denis, an Independent voter who leaned left.

Denise Vitiello, 49, of Patchogue, said the upcoming November election is "scary for the country." She doesn’t like Biden, Harris or Trump. But Vitiello, who identified herself as a registered Independent, said she'll cast her ballot for the former president.

"I would never have voted for Biden," Vitiello said.

On Main Street in Patchogue, Yaphank residents and self-described "Trumpers" Rick Tripi, 60, and Judy Tedesco, 56, in the village for the evening, said Biden dropping out of the race would not impact their ballots in November.

Biden has always been "incapable," Tedesco said.

Biden move no surprise

Josue Melendez, 18, of Levittown, was working at a McDonald’s when he saw the news on television. He immediately told his co-workers.

"They were going crazy," Melendez said during a family barbecue at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. "Some of them were like, ‘Finally!’ ”

Melendez was pleased by Biden’s decision to let a younger politician take his place. Even still, the change likely won’t change his voting plans.

"Right now, my vote is for Trump," Melendez said.

Kat McDonough, 29, of Massapequa, said Biden’s decision to leave the race didn't come as a surprise, although she feared "how this information will be received by the public and the aftermath."

The Democratic Party’s shake-up, however, won’t impact her vote. She plans to vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a third-party candidate.

But ultimately, she added, "I’m hopeful for something to happen in November that unites us rather than dividing us."

Cynthia Lucas, who lives in Uniondale, said Harris as the Democratic nominee for president would send an important message.

"It would show that women are taking the initiative to be the change for the world, so that other Black women can get inspired to do more for themselves and their family as a whole," Lucas, 34, said during a family outing at Eisenhower Park.

While Democrats across the region struggled with a bevy of emotions — from relief and surprise to anxiety and trepidation — the atmosphere was jubilant at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

Tourists, supporters and other passersby lined up to pose with Trump impersonators, dine at the Trump Grill and shop at Trump Sweets.

Trump voter Mario Laboy, 80, a retired banker from the Bronx, said he voted for him in 2016, 2020 and will do it again in 2024.

Biden, he said, "should be stepping down as the president. His capacity is not up to par."