President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Thursday March 7, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

In the wake of President Joseph Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race on Sunday afternoon, federal and state elected officials offered praise for Biden’s decision and appraisals — both negative and positive — of his legacy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, called Biden a “true patriot and great American” on X, formerly Twitter, Sunday afternoon.

“Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he’s a truly amazing human being,” he wrote. “His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party and our future first.”

Schumer privately met with Biden on July 13 in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and is said to have told Biden it would be best if he dropped out, ABC News reported last week. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also expressed concerns about him staying in the race, ABC News reported.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, thanked Biden “on behalf of (herself) and every New Yorker.”

“President Biden has served our country with courage, compassion, integrity and decency. I am honored to have served in the Senate during his administration,” she said in a statement on Sunday.

She added that Biden “leaves behind a legacy that will echo for generations.”

House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, called for Biden to “immediately resign” as president on Sunday.

“If Joe Biden can’t run for reelection, he is unable and unfit to serve as President of the United States,” Stefanik said in a statement.

She added that the Democratic party “is in absolute free fall” and alleged that the party engaged in a cover-up to conceal “the fact that Joe Biden is unfit for office.”

New York state Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs said in a statement Sunday afternoon that he has long admired Biden, no more so than on Sunday after he withdrew from the race.

“Voluntarily ceding the nomination and forgoing a chance to serve for another four years … is as noble an act as ever recorded in America’s political history,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs went on to compare Biden to George Washington, who declined to run for a third term in 1796, setting the precedent for a two-term presidency.

State Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, said Sunday afternoon that Biden acted selflessly by stepping down.

“(In) what was I’m sure a very difficult decision, President Biden has once again put country above himself,” Jones said in a statement. “I want to thank him for his many decades of dedicated service to our United States of America.”

Assemblyman Matt Simpson, R-Lake George, declined to comment.

State Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, did not respond to a request for comment by deadline Sunday.