UNITED States of America 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”.
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 failed to convince prominent members of his own party that he could defeat Trump in November after his poor performance at the CNN presidential debate in June.
In a letter posted to his social media account, he said it had been the greatest honour of his life to serve as 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 the duties as President for the remainder of my term”.
He said in his statement he would address the nation on the matter next week.
President Biden thanked his Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she was an “extraordinary partner”.
In a phone call with CNN minutes after Biden announced his exit from the race, Trump described Biden as “the worst president in the history of our country.”
Independent Sen. Joe Manchin was the latest high-profile lawmaker to call for Biden to step aside, telling CNN on Sunday morning the president should “pass the torch” to a new generation of leaders.
Biden Endorses Vice President Kamala Harris
Meanwhile, President Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
“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 a post on X.
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