President Joe Biden has withdrawn from the 2024 US Election race after weeks of mounting speculation on his ability to run for reelection.
The Democratic nominee on Monday morning AEST announced on X, formerly Twitter, he would not run against Donald Trump at the November poll.
At 81 years old, Biden is already the oldest sitting US President in history.
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Concerns about his ability to serve for another four years have been bubbling for months, but were thrust into the spotlight during a shaky June 27 debate performance against Trump.
Biden had sought to reassure Democrats that he was still fit for office, saying on a call with staffers in July: “I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”
However, on Monday, he said that he was withdrawing and endorsed his vice president to take his place on the ballot.
“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he wrote.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.
“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.”
In a phone call with CNN minutes after President Joe Biden announced his exit from the 2024 race, former President Donald Trump described Biden as going “down as the single worst president by far in the history of our country.”
While it’s unclear who the Democratic nominee will be, Trump said he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris will be easier to defeat than Biden would have been.
The US presidential election will be held on November 5.
More to come …