President Joe Biden Drops Out Of Race For The White House
HuffPost
The announcement will upend the Democratic Party's nomination contest as leaders seek a powerful new challenger to Donald Trump.
President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he is no longer running for reelection, clearing the way for a new Democratic candidate amid a tidal wave of concerns about his age and ability to challenge Donald Trump in November.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” he said in a letter. “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.”
As mentioned above, Biden stressed that he will still serve as president until the winner of the November election takes office. He also said that he will deliver an address to the country later this week about his decision.
The announcement will immediately throw the party’s nomination process into chaos with just weeks to go until the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. But immediately after releasing this letter, Biden posted a second statement officially endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the nominee.
The president and his allies had sought to quell fears about his age — Biden is 81 — following a disastrous first debate against Trump in Atlanta in June. The White House had blamed a cold and an intense international travel schedule for his performance. But despite assurances to lawmakers in Washington, fellow Democrats began to abandon his bid en masse as his poll numbers cratered and his donors began withholding their support.