Joe Biden has withdrawn from the 2024 presidential race.
In a development that sends the contest into uncharted territory, the US president announced he will no longer be seeking a second term.
He has thrown his support behind Kamala Harris, urging Democrats to donate to her campaign as he pulled out.
In a letter addressed to “my fellow Americans”, Mr Biden said it had been the “greatest honour of my life to serve as your president”.
“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” he said.
He endorsed Ms Harris as the Democratic nominee and, referring to his Republican rival, he added: “Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump.”
Mr Biden made the announcement in a statement posted on X, in which he said he would address the nation later this week to provide “detail” about his decision.
“For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me re-elected,” he said.
“I want to thank vice president Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
“I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
First Lady Jill Biden, whose loyalty to her husband has been unswerving, responded by sharing his statement on X with a simple heart emoji.
Ms Harris, who many are touting as the frontrunner to replace Mr Biden, said she was “honoured” to have the president’s endorsement, adding “my intention is to earn and win this nomination”.
She thanked Mr Biden for his “extraordinary leadership” and for making a “selfless and patriotic act” by stepping aside.
She said: “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party – and unite our nation – to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.
“We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.”
Mr Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon on 20 January 2025.
But questions are already being asked about whether he should stand down from the presidency as well as withdrawing from the re-election race.
The Republican House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson has called on him to resign, saying “if Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to serve as president”.
The seismic development comes after months of speculation about Mr Biden’s age and fitness to serve another four years – amid a series of high-profile gaffes and a disastrous debate performance.
Democrats described his debate with Mr Trump as an ”unmitigated disaster” and “a slow motion car crash” after he appeared incoherent, stumbling over his words and freezing.
Mr Biden, 81, had previously insisted he was best placed to defeat Mr Trump in the upcoming election but had faced calls from within his own party to step aside.
As of Saturday night he had planned to stay in the race, but told senior staff on Sunday afternoon he was withdrawing, a source familiar with the matter said.
The decision caught many White House staff off guard, with several expressing shock the president made the announcement while recovering from COVID at his Delaware home.
Mr Biden spent the 48 hours before the announcement digesting large amounts of data and polls that showed his path to victory was largely out of reach, two sources told Reuters.
He spoke with Ms Harris several times on Sunday ahead of the announcement, according to a source familiar with the conversation.
He agonized over the decision – but once he made up his mind, he moved quickly, a senior White House official said.
He broke the news to his senior team at 1.45pm on Sunday, the sources said – and his bombshell announcement on social media came just one minute later.
A source close to the president recently admitted ”we’re close to the end” after Barack Obama, the former president who picked Mr Biden as his vice president during his two terms in office, reportedly shared his concerns about his ally’s re-election bid.
Source:skynews.com
