US President Joe Biden has ended his re-election campaign due to considerable pressure from fellow Democrats.
In a letter posted on social media on Sunday, he explained that it was in the best interest of both his party and the nation for him to step aside.
This decision has upended the 2024 presidential race with less than four months until the November 5 election.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your president,” Biden said. “And 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 stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”
President Biden stated that he would address the nation “later this week in more detail about my decision.” He has not been seen publicly since Wednesday, when he tested positive for Covid-19.
Biden’s unprecedented move will have global ramifications, introducing new uncertainty in US policy and the White House’s international influence at a time of significant geopolitical tension, from the Indo-Pacific to Gaza and Israel.
This decision comes after more than three weeks of intense debate among Democrats regarding Biden’s candidacy.
Concerns about his mental acuity were reignited following a poor debate performance against Donald Trump, damaging his standing among voters.
A recent Associated Press poll showed that nearly two-thirds of Democratic voters believed Biden should withdraw from the race.
Biden’s choice to forgo a second term signals the end of one of Washington’s most distinguished political careers.
He entered the Senate in 1973, served as vice-president under Barack Obama starting in 2009, and assumed the presidency in 2020, a period marked by a global pandemic, economic recovery, inflation, and conflict.
However, Biden’s decision leaves the Democratic Party without a candidate to oppose Trump, the populist Republican who had gained a polling lead over Biden in key swing states and nationally.
While Biden did not immediately endorse a successor, he specifically thanked Vice-President Kamala Harris “for being an extraordinary partner in all this work.”
