Biden Drops Out Of 2024 U.S. Presidential Race, Endorses Harris

According to RFE/RL, U.S. President Joe Biden said he is withdrawing his candidacy in the November 2024 election and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic Party's candidate after weeks of pressure to step aside over concerns about his fitness to run because of his age.

"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," the 81-year-old leader said in a post on X on July 21.

Biden said he would address the nation later in the week to give "more detail about my decision."

"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," he said.

"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," he added.

Biden's fellow Democrats have been calling for him to step down following his poor debate performance against Republican challenger Donald Trump on June 27. Biden appeared frail and confused at times, raising questions about his physical and mental state.

Biden had resisted calls for weeks to step down from the nomination, saying he was the best placed to defeat the 78-year-old Trump. Biden beat Trump in 2020, narrowly edging him out in the key swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

However, he is now trailing Trump by a sizable margin in some of those states, according to opinion polls with the Democratic Party national convention on August 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois.