United States President Joe Biden on Sunday announced dropping out of the presidential race after concerns that he was unlikely to beat Republican nominee, Donald Trump.
He soon after endorsed his Deputy, Kamala Harris, to step in his shoes ahead of the November election against Republican nominee, Donald Trump, a candidate he has warned is an existential threat to American democracy.
“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 focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a letter announcing his decision.
He said he planned to speak to the nation in more detail later this week.
The president made the shocking announcement after a weeks-long pressure campaign by Democratic leaders, organizers and donors who increasingly saw no path to victory so long as the embattled incumbent remained on the ticket.
A disastrous debate performance last month, and his uneven public appearances since, have only exacerbated longstanding voter concerns that the 81-year-old president was simply too old to serve another four years.
Biden’s decision to step aside from the race, though remain as president, caps a few weeks in American politics, the latest stunning episode in an unusually tumultuous election season. Trump, the former president and Republican nominee, narrowly survived an attempt on his life during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania that bloodied his ear and left one spectator dead.
Biden, after appealing for calm in the wake of attack, had returned to the campaign trail last week determined to salvage his candidacy and once again prove his doubters wrong.
Meanwhile, former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, have both endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential candidate.
“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” the Clintons said in a statement posted on X.
No Comments