Biden drops out of USA presidential race

Biden drops out, upending race for White House

US President Joe Biden has ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic presidential candidate, in an extraordinary decision that upends an already dramatic race for the White House.

Mr Biden, 81, said on Sunday in a written statement that it was the “greatest honour” to serve as president but he was withdrawing “in the best interest of my party and the country”.

He had faced intense pressure to step down over concerns about his age and mental fitness and will remain as president until January.

Ms Harris, 59, said that she was “honoured” to have Mr Biden’s endorsement, adding she would “earn and win this nomination” and unite the country against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

“We have 107 days until election day,” she said. “Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.”

However, several other senior Democrats are also being touted as replacements, and a choice must be made at the party’s national convention in Chicago in August.

If the party struggles to unify around Ms Harris, the battle to succeed Mr Biden could play out on the convention floor.

Mr Biden’s announcement caps a tumultuous period in US politics, which began after a poor and sometimes incoherent debate performance against Trump on 27 June plunged his candidacy into chaos and fuelled concerns over his age and capacity to win re-election.

While Democratic donors and dozens of lawmakers called on Mr Biden to step aside, a resurgent Trump pulled ahead in polling and was confirmed as Republican nominee at the party’s triumphant convention in Milwaukee this week, five days after surviving an assassination attempt.

Trump said on Sunday that the president “was not fit to run… and is certainly not fit to serve”. Other senior Republicans joined him in their criticism, and called on Mr Biden to leave the White House immediately.

Dozens of senior Democrats and party grandees including Barack Obama, the former president, Chuck Schumer, Senate leader, and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the decision and Mr Biden’s time in office.

Not all have openly accepted Mr Biden’s endorsement of Ms Harris.

Former president Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic candidate for president Hillary Clinton said they backed her as a candidate, saying they would “fight with everything we’ve got to elect her”.

Mr Obama stated that he had “extraordinary confidence” that an “outstanding nominee emerges” but did not explicitly back Ms Harris.

Ms Pelosi has not commented.

Peter Welch, the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to drop his re-election run, called for an “open process” to nominate Harris.

source: BBC