Bowing to weeks of growing pressure by his own party members to quit his re-election bid against former president Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden on Sunday dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee.
Biden ended his reelection campaign after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Trump. The announcement by the oldest sitting president in United States history came amid mounting pressure from his fellow Democrats, with more than 30 Congress members publicly pushing for his exit.
Other high-profile figures — including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — were reported to be encouraging Biden to step down behind the scenes.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden wrote in a post on the social media site X.
“And 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.
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