President Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race became the new reality in Europe before one could say “Joe Bye-den.” That is how Britain’s Sun newspaper spelled it out, and the New York Post no less indelicately “It’s Joe-ver.” Germany’s famed Bild tabloid put it even more bluntly: “Biden gives up.”

Headline high jinks notwithstanding, Mr. Biden’s decision to stand down is an event on par with Hurricane Trump — a virtually unprecedented American electoral shakeup, much closer to the election than President Johnson’s announcement in March 1968 that he would not seek re-election.

Europeans  are still reeling, many of them at least, from the news of the attempt on the life of President Trump, who is widely seen in Europe as likely to shift his campaign strategy. The new British prime minister, Keir Starmer, wrote on X, “I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, he will have made his decision based on what he believes is best for the American people.”

The honeymoon period of the new Labour government may not come to a halt because of the news from the White House, but the tone could now change. Prime Minister Albanese of Australia  echoed that sentiment, saying at a press conference that Mr. Biden deserves to be recognized for “once again not putting himself forward first, but giving his first consideration to being what he believes is in the interests of the United States of America, as he has done his whole public life.”

Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, wrote on X of Mr. Biden that “He’s a great man, and everything he does is guided by his love for his country.” Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, called Mr. Biden “a true ally of the Jewish people.”

Kremlin  spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the news that “The elections are still four months away, and that is a long period of time in which a lot can change,” adding “we need to be patient and carefully monitor what happens. The priority for us is the special military operation.” For President Putin, that is a euphemism for the war in Ukraine.

In France, Le Monde published a photo of Mr. Biden in silhouette, head facing down. There is little doubt in France that President Macron, whose liberal Renaissance party is more aligned with the Democrats than the Republicans, feels the same way. Le Parisien quotes Mr. Biden as saying: “It is in the best interest of my party and the country to stand down.”

A Greek paper, the News, published a photograph of a solitary president walking up the staircase to Air Force One against the backdrop of pitch black sky. The pundits are already out in force. Britain’s left-leaning Guardian newspaper proffers “The tragedy and resilience of Joe Biden: a look back at a life in politics.” On the other side of the spectrum, the Spectator observes that “Biden’s inglorious exit evoked the fate of that great cartoon character, Wile E. Coyote.”

The ramifications of the president telling “his fellow Democrats” that “today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump” may take a little longer to set in. 

Italians are aficionados of opera and an American political tableau that is beginning to look like an epic one. Milan’s Corriere della Sera seized on Trump’s reaction to Mr. Biden’s endorsement of Ms. Harris: “She will be easier to beat.”