Joe Biden has withdrawn from the US presidential race amid concerns for his physical and mental health.
The 81-year-old Biden – America’s oldest ever president – admitted in a one page statement it was in the ‘best interests of the country’ for him not to seek re-election.
Biden’s cognitive decline has been evident throughout his presidency and on the 2024 campaign trail.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President,” Joe Biden wrote in a letter posted on Sunday to his X account.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection,” he said.
“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.”
However, in his statement there was no mention of who would be replacing him as the Democratic candidate against Republican Donald Trump.
It seems the president forgot to announce his endorsement.
Noticing the important absence of this information, Biden sent a quick follow-up post pushing for his VP Kamala Harris to take over.
Following the president’s official endorsement, Kamala Harris responded, saying:
“I am honoured to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
But just because Biden backed has backed Kamala to take his spot doesn’t mean she will automatically receive the nomination.
Trump’s Response
Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump has responded to Biden’s historic decision by rubbing salt in the wound of the 81-year-old president.
“He is the worst president in the history of our country,” Trump said in a call to CNN on Sunday, immediately after Biden’s update.
“He goes down as the single worst president by far in the history of our country.”
In another response to Biden’s withdrawal, Trump wrote via his Truth Social account:
“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement.”
The Democratic Party has until August to announce who will be the official candidate of the 2024 presidential campaign.
While Kamala Harris has Biden’s official endorsement, former first lady’s Michelle Obama and Hilary Clinton have also been rumoured to be potential candidates.