Joe Biden bows to Democratic pressure, halts 2024 campaign; to serve full term

The US president took to X to announce his decision and said he will remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025.

Anish Kumar

First Published Jul 22, 2024, 8:01 AM IST | Last Updated Jul 22, 2024, 8:01 AM IST

In a move that sends the Presidential contest into uncharted territory, the US president, Joe Biden has announced that he will no longer be seeking his reelection bid amid pressure from his fellow Democrats.

He ended his reelection campaign on Sunday and said he will complete his remaining tenure as the President.

The US president took to X to announce his decision and said he will remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025.

He also said that he will address the nation this week.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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,” Biden said.

It is being believed that since he withdraws from the race, the vice-president, Kamala Harris could be the front runner to lead the race from Democrats side. If this happens, she would be the first Black woman to do so in the country’s history.

Biden has endorsed his deputy Kamala Harris to be his successor but she needs her party’s approval.

It is expected that the new name would be announced at the Democratic National Convention to be held in August.

Whoever be the face of the Democrats, he or she will have to face the Republican presidential nominee and former President, Donald Trump.

Why Biden quit his re-election bid?

In his last month televised debate against his rival Donald Trump, according to the Democratic lawmakers and party officials, Biden performed poorly and since then his party colleagues have been pressurising to quit the race.

He is the 46th US president. The election is scheduled on November 5.

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