Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as President after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

American politics has taken a new turn. Joe Biden has decided to withdraw from the US presidential election. He gave this information in a statement posted on the social media platform X. Addressing the citizens of America, Biden wrote, 'Serving you as President has been the greatest honor of my life. However, I wanted to stand for re-election. I believe that it is in the interest of my party and country that I withdraw from the candidature and focus completely on my responsibilities as President in the remaining tenure.'

81-year-old Biden is the oldest US president till date. Due to his health, questions were being raised whether he was fit for the role of the president. Many leaders, supporters, promoters and funders of the Democratic Party were also appealing to Biden to step down. Joe Biden is not the first leader who has refused to stand for the US presidential election again. 55 years ago, American leader Lyndon Baines Johnson suddenly refused to contest the election again as president. Many reasons were given for this.

Lyndon Johnson became president after Kennedy's assassination

Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in a simple farmer family. During the Second World War, he served for some time as a lieutenant commander in the Navy. After this, in 1948, he went to the upper house of America i.e. the Senate for the first time.

In the 1960 campaign, John F. Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson as his vice presidential candidate. When Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Johnson took the oath of office. Interestingly, he took the oath of office in a cabin on the 'Air Force One' plane. He was the only president to take the oath of office in this manner.

Under Johnson's leadership, the country's space program made tremendous progress. He strongly supported NASA as both a senator and president. In 1973, NASA's Center for Human Spaceflight was renamed the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

Johnson served as president after John F. Kennedy's assassination and won the 1964 presidential election. He passed sweeping legislation to expand civil rights and social services. But in 1968, he suddenly announced on national television that he would not run for president.

There were 5 reasons why Johnson did not contest the presidential election

1. Vietnam War: The biggest reason for America's 36th President Lyndon B. Johnson not contesting for re-election was the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict. In this, the communist government of North Vietnam and South Vietnam and its main ally America were face to face. The conflict became even more intense due to the ongoing Cold War between America and the Soviet Union. The Vietnam War and America's active participation in it began in 1954. However, the conflict in this region had been going on for several decades. Due to the political instability created in South Vietnam, Kennedy's successor Lyndon Johnson increased the number of American troops there. By November 1967, the number of American soldiers in Vietnam had reached close to 500,000. The government was claiming that victory was near, but the figures were telling something else.
2. Protest against the war: Seeing the horrific images of war on television, Americans protested against the war on a large scale on the home front. College students participated in these movements enthusiastically. All this divided Americans badly. For some young people, the Vietnam War was uncontrolled and unnecessary. At the same time, for some Americans, opposing the government was like treason.
3. health problem:Johnson's health was a major concern during his presidency. Johnson suffered from heart problems. The pressures of managing the Vietnam War further affected his health.
4. Unrest and riots in black settlements: Lyndon Johnson's first-term campaign focused on creating a 'Great Society' for the American people. The biggest part of his program was to help underprivileged Americans, distribute natural resources equitably, and protect American consumers. But despite introducing anti-poverty and anti-discrimination policies, unrest and riots in black neighborhoods troubled the country.
5. This was also the reason: At the end of his 1968 address, Lyndon B. Johnson said, “When America's sons are away in a foreign land and when America's future is challenged here at home, it does not seem right to me to devote an hour or a day to personal work. I want to devote my entire time to the great duties of the country's President. Therefore, I will not seek or accept the nomination of my party for another term as your President.”