US President, Joe Biden has announced that he will end his candidacy for re-election, saying “it is in the best interest of my party and the country”.
Biden, 81, in a post on X, said he will remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025 and will address the nation this week.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. 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.
It comes four months before Americans go to the polls, upending the race for the White House.
It follows weeks of intense pressure from fellow Democrats after a faltering debate performance against Republican Donald Trump at the end of June.
Biden also announced that he’s endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for the US 2024 presidential race, in a post on X.
He wrote, “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.”
Biden’s announcement follows a wave of public and private pressure from Democratic lawmakers and party officials to quit the race after his shockingly poor performance in a televised debate last month against Republican rival Donald Trump.
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