U.S. President Joe Biden withdrew his bid for reelection on Sunday, amid mounting pressure from high ranking members of his own Democratic Party, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take over as the party’s candidate to run against Republican Donald Trump.
81-year-old Biden, who announced his decision in a post on X, said he will continue in his role as president and commander-in-chief until the end of his tenure in January 2025 and will address the nation this week. He has been away from public view since testing positive for COVID-19 last week and isolating at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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,” Biden wrote.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said Americans will hear from the party on the next line of action and the path forward for the nomination process for Biden’s replacement. It was the first time in more than a half-century that an incumbent U.S. president gave up his party’s nomination.
Biden had been under pressure to give up his reelection bid since the June 27 debate against 78-year-old former President Trump, in which he put up a dismal performance.
Opposition from within his party gained steam over the past week with 36 congressional Democrats – more than one in eight – publicly calling on him to end his campaign.
Lawmakers expressed fear that he could cost them not only the White House but also the chance to control either chamber of Congress next year, which would leave Democrats with no meaningful grasp on power in Washington.
That stood in sharp contrast to what played out in the Republican Party last week, when members united around Trump and his running mate U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, 39.
Harris, 59, would become the first Black woman to run at the top of a major-party ticket in the country’s history.
Trump told CNN on Sunday that he is of the view that Harris would be easier to defeat.
A source familiar with the matter said Biden had a last-minute change of heart as he had informed allies that as of Saturday night, he planned to stay in the race, but changed his mind on Sunday afternoon.
“Last night the message was proceed with everything, full speed ahead,” said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“At around 1:45 p.m. today: the president told his senior team that he had changed his mind.”
Biden announced his decision on social media within minutes.
It was unclear whether other senior Democrats would challenge Harris for the party’s nomination – she was widely seen as the pick for many party officials – or whether the party itself would choose to open the field for nominations.
Source: Reuters
