In a political seismic shift that will upend the already remarkable 2024 contest for the White House, Joe Biden withdrew from the US presidential race on Sunday and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new nominee. 81-year-old Joe Biden claimed that he was giving in to weeks of pressure in the “best interest of my party and the country” after a disastrous June debate against Donald Trump stoked concerns about his age and mental state.
Biden is not “fit to run” for president, so Trump said in a series of posts on his Truth Social network that he is also not “fit to serve.” The abrupt change will catch Republicans off guard, as their campaign was entirely centred around Biden. Instead, 78-year-old Trump, the oldest presidential nominee in US history, will run against a much younger opponent. Additionally, the action turns a very unpopular and boring Trump-Biden rematch into one of contemporary American history’s most captivating presidential campaigns.
At some point, Biden’s withdrawal was widely anticipated. Finally, as he was recovering from Covid at his beach house in Delaware, the announcement was a complete surprise.
In a letter published on X, Biden said being president has been the “greatest honour of my life.” He promised to address the country later this week. However, according to the White House, he had no public engagements on Monday. While I have intended to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he stated.
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