Biden announces his withdrawal from presidential race
US President Joe Biden has announced that he is abandoning his intention to run again for the post of head of state. He says he is doing it in the interests of the state and the Democratic Party, the American leader reported on X.
Biden said that he intended to seek re-election, but believes that it is in the interests of the Democratic Party and the country that he resign. He added that he would now focus solely on fulfilling his duties as president until the end of his term.
Also, in the published letter, the American leader addressed the nation, stressing: "It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President." He promised to "speak to the Nation later this week".
Subsequently, the President of the United States published another post in which he expressed his support for Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate of the Democratic Party. He recalled that his first decision as the Democratic candidate in 2020 was to choose Harris as his vice president.
"And it's been the best decision I've made" Biden wrote, calling on Democrats to "come together and beat Trump."
Biden's exit from the presidential race came after weeks of concern about his health and age. There has been growing skepticism within the Democratic Party and among its patrons about the incumbent's ability to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump and effectively govern the country for another four years.
Instead, Donald Trump called his former rival "worst president by far in the history of our country" in a telephone conversation with CNN, minutes after Biden announced his withdrawal from the race.
Although it is not yet clear who will become the official nominee of the Democratic Party, Trump told reporters that it would be easier for him to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris than Biden.
Previously, Newsweek claimed that Harris became the favorite of the Democrats for the nomination of a candidate for the presidential elections. However, the Democrats will officially present their candidate at the party's National Congress only at the end of August.
Pressure on Biden
Earlier, according to media reports, top Democratic Party leaders, friends and key donors to Biden expressed their belief that he cannot win or change the public perception of his age. One Democrat told CNN that the assassination attempt on Trump only added to the panic within the Democratic Party.
According to ABC News, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Biden and told the president that calls for his resignation would grow. It was speculated that Pelosi could have offered Biden to publicly resign.
According to the NYT, the two top Democrats in the US Congress — Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer — privately told Biden that their colleagues were deeply concerned about his chances. They also reportedly convinced party officials to postpone the start of the nomination of Biden as the party's candidate for a week.