In a statement posted on X Biden said while it had been his 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 focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
He thanked his vice-president Kamala Harris for being an “extraordinary partner,” but did not endorse her as the party nominee for the Presidency in the initial statement he posted on X, in which he also said he would speak to the nation later in the week.
But in a follow-up post on X, he said his very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as his vice-president, calling it “the best decision I’ve made” and adding, “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.””Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he said.
Among other things, this will make Kamala Harris – assuming rest of the party accepts Biden’s endorsement and confirms her as the nominee – the first non-white female and the first Indian-American candidate for the US presidency.
There are only 106 days to go before election day on November 5. No president has dropped out so late in the race.
While 106 days might seem a lot in other democracies such as India, UK and Israel, which can run campaigns and conduct polls in a matter of days or weeks, elections in the US is a different deal altogether, with candidates having to raise millions in funding to woo voters with advertising and on-the-road rallies in a country four times India’s size.
Democratic Party grandees and leaders will now begin the process to nominate Biden’s replacement with Harris best placed to succeed, particularly after the President’s endorsement.