Biden bows out: Historic decision ends re-election bid
US President Joe Biden, 81, has ended his reelection campaign following doubts about his mental acuity. Despite not endorsing VP Kamala Harris, his exit paves the way for a new Democratic candidate.
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By Jeff Mason, Jarrett Renshaw and Kanishka Singh
U.S. President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump, but did not immediately endorse Vice President Kamal Harris to replace him as candidate.
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.
His move could clear the way for Harris to run at the top of the ticket, the first Black woman to do so in the country's history. But Biden did not mention her in his announcement.
It was unclear whether other senior Democrats would challenge Harris for the party's nomination, who was widely seen as the pick for many party officials – or whether the party itself would choose to open the field for nominations.
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 June 27 televised debate last month against Republican rival Trump, 78.
Biden's failure at times to complete clear sentences took the public spotlight away from Trump's performance, in which he made a string of false statements, and trained it instead on questions surrounding Biden's fitness for another 4-year term.
Days later he raised fresh concerns in an interview, shrugging off Democrats' worries and a widening gap in opinion polls, and saying he would be fine losing to Trump if he knew he'd "gave it my all."
His gaffes at a NATO summit – invoking Russian President Vladimir Putin's name when he meant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and calling Harris "Vice President Trump" -further stoked anxieties.
Only four days before Sunday's announcement, Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 for a third time, forcing him to cut short a campaign trip to Las Vegas. More than one in 10 congressional Democrats had called publicly for him to quit the race.
Biden's historic move — the first sitting president to give up his party's nomination for re-election since President Lyndon Johnson in March 1968 — leaves his replacement with less than four months to wage a campaign.
SOURCE: REUTERS
Read US President Joe Biden's letter below
My Fellow Americans,
Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.
Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We've made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We've provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years.
Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We've protected and preserved our Democracy. And we've revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
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.
I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.
For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can't do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.
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