US President Joe Biden has quit his re-election bid following overwhelming pressure from fellow Democrats, saying that “it was in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down”.
The president announced his decision in a letter published on his X handle on Sunday, throwing this year’s White House race into turmoil with less than four months to go until voters in the world’s biggest economy elect their new leader on November 5.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president. Later this week in more detail about my decision,” Biden wrote.
Shortly after stepping down, Biden endorsed his vice, Kamala Harris to run.
“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,” he wrote on social media.
Biden’s unprecedented decision will reverberate across the globe, injecting new uncertainty into US policy and the White House’s authority on the world stage at a moment of acute geopolitical tension, from the Indo-Pacific to Gaza and Israel.
The announcement follows more than three weeks of wrenching debate among Democrats about his candidacy after a disastrous debate performance against Trump reignited concerns about his mental acuity and damaged his standing among American voters.
An Associated Press poll out last week found nearly two-thirds of Democratic voters said Biden should drop out of the race.
Heritage Times HT had reported few days ago that the ageing president tested positive for COVID-19, and has since gone into isolation.
See official letter below
