Joe Biden has announced that he is withdrawing as the Democratic nominee for the upcoming US election. In a statement posted on X, the president said he was making this gesture “in the interest” of his party.
In the statement posted on X, Biden said it was “in the best interest of my party” to step down and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Sky News reports.
In recent weeks, President Joe Biden has faced increasing calls to step down amid concerns about his age, health and ability to lead the country.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to be your president”
Before his announcement, 37 Democrats on Capitol Hill called on the president to step down.
Biden says he will address the nation later this week with more details.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to be your president,” Biden wrote. “And while it has been my intention to run again, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country that I step down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”
First time in decades that an American president has resigned
It is the first time in decades that a US president has dropped out of a re-election bid, reminiscent of President Lyndon Johnson’s decision not to run for a second full term in 1968 — although Biden’s decision comes months later in campaign than Johnson’s announcement.
It is also the latest shocking development in a highly charged political campaign that has included an attempt on Trump’s life.
But even the assassination attempt and its tumultuous effect on the race could not stop the loss of support Biden was facing among congressional Democrats, who became increasingly convinced that a failure in November would also drown their contests in the ballots, notes CNN.
Biden also said he would endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Today I want to give my full support and endorsement to Kamala to be our party’s candidate this year. Democrats – it’s time to unite and defeat Trump. Let’s do this,” Biden said.
He added that choosing Harris as his running partner in 2020 was “the best decision I’ve made”.
Source: www.descopera.ro
