President Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 race in a seismic decision sparked by a relentless campaign from Democrats demanding he drop out because of his cognitive decline and his dire chances against Donald Trump.
The 81-year-old stepped aside Sunday after facing weeks of questions over his fitness to serve following his disastrous presidential debate performance that sparked a series of fumbles he could not recover from.
His historic move comes 24 days after the debate and following a 50-year career in politics that culminated in the White House.
Biden announced his historic decision in a one-page letter where he committed to completing his term and soon after posted a follow-up tweet endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?
Now Democrats must race to shore up their campaign behind a new nominee with less than four months until voting day.
BIDEN’S FULL STATEMENT
‘It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,’ Biden wrote in a letter posted to his X account on Sunday.
‘And while it has been my intention to seek reelection,’ he went on, ‘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 announcement came the same day a slew of Democrats went on Sunday shows to insist the President was not stepping down and would continue his reelection efforts.
Biden said he would speak in more detail about his decision in remarks to the country later this week.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
Last week, Biden was pulled from the campaign trail after he was diagnosed with COVID-19 in the middle of a west coast swing. This led to even more speculation that he would soon drop out of the race.
In the showdown against Trump last month, Biden was often seen on split screen with his mouth agape and a million-mile blank stare.
During his time to speak at the podium, the President would stumble, freeze, lose his train of thought and mumble his way through answers to moderator’s questions.
