President Joe Biden has just dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee in the 2024 presidential election.
The 81-year-old incumbent issued a written statement on Sunday afternoon, saying he believes it is in the country’s best interest for him to leave the Democratic ticket. Biden’s decision comes after weeks of public and private pressure from voters and from within his own party to bow out of the reelection campaign due to his age and seemingly declining health.
While Biden’s statement did not name a successor, he later took to social media to endorse Harris as his replacement and thank her for her support during their campaign and term. “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,” he shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“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,” Biden said.
In his announcement, Biden thanked Harris for “being an extraordinary partner,” and his official endorsement gives her a huge leg up in the presidential race. But while polls show Harris performing better against Trump than Biden does, if she does decide to run, she will still have to convince the majority of the American public that she’s the best candidate for the job.
