Breaking: Biden Is Out
On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race.
The Guardian reported that Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden expressed in a letter posted on X.
“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to step aside and concentrate solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Biden faced mounting pressure from Democrats to exit the race after a poor debate performance in June.
Numerous donors threatened to withhold contributions unless Biden withdrew, a step he had previously stated he would not take before Sunday.
Biden is the first sitting president in 56 years to not seek re-election. The last instance was in 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson decided not to run for a second term, as reported by The New York Times.
The process for selecting the Democratic Party’s nominee remained unclear on Sunday.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin on Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Last week, journalist Mark Halperin mentioned in a video posted on X that the convention will present options.
Halperin stated that Democrats are expected to have an “open process in which the convention will be open to Vice President Harris and a few other candidates.”
“The belief is that Vice President Harris is already considering potential running mates to go to Chicago with a complete ticket, including one possibility, Andy Beshear, the governor of Kentucky, and perhaps the governor of Pennsylvania, Gov. [Josh] Shapiro.”
Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan are also being considered, he added.
Halperin explained that an open first ballot at the convention would be allowed, with Democratic Super Delegates making the final selection if no first-ballot winner emerges.
High-level pressure from figures such as Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama, along with information from Biden’s aides indicating he was likely to lose to former President Donald Trump, were factors in Biden’s decision to step down, Halperin said.
Former President Donald Trump has called Biden the “worst president by far in the history of our country,” but also mentioned he believed Harris would be easier to defeat, according to CBS.