Joe Biden with Kamala Harris
Joe Biden stepped out of the US presidential election on Sunday and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new contender, upending an already historic 2024 race for the White House.
Biden, 81, cited his age and mental fitness concerns as reasons for his decision. Biden said he was acting in the best interest of his party and the country by bowing to weeks of pressure after a disastrous June debate against Donald Trump.
This move could potentially re-energize the party, as Harris aims to become America’s first woman president and defeat Donald Trump.
Trump reacted with posts on his ‘Truth Social’ network, stating that Biden is not ‘fit to run’ for president, but the dramatic shift will wrong-foot Republicans, whose campaign was solely focused on Biden and will now feature 78-year-old Trump against a for younger opponent.
The move also transforms the highly unpopular and dragging Trump-Biden rematch into one of the most compelling presidential campaigns in modern American politics.
Biden’s withdrawal came with no warning as he recovered from Covid at his Delaware beach house. He offered his full support and endorsement for Harris, with his campaign filing official notice to change its name to ‘Harris for President’.
Joe Biden tweeted, “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. 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. Let’s do this”, through his official ‘X’ handle.
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Endorsements began streaming in for Harris almost immediately from Democratic big shots and potential rivals for the nomination, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom.
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