US President Joe Biden has dropped out of the race for the White House and endorsed Kamala Harris as the presidential race moved into uncharted territory.
Mr Biden ended his bid for a second term in office as growing numbers of Democrats called for him to “pass on the torch” following a series of high-profile blunders.
The President quickly threw his support behind Ms Harris who in turn thanked Mr Biden for his “extraordinary leadership” and for making a “selfless and patriotic act” by stepping aside.
In a letter posted on X, the 81-year-old said: "It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President.
“And while it has been my 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 to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Ms Harris said it was her intention “to earn and win this nomination” - but already many of the names who could be in the frame in Chicago had lined up to endorse her, as attention turned to whom she might pick as her running mate.
Thanking Mr Biden for his “extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country”, Ms Harris vowed: “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party - and unite our nation - to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
She also won backing from Bill and Hillary Clinton, Cabinet members such as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and state leaders including governors who might be nursing their own presidential ambitions such as Gavin Newsom (California) and Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania).
Mr Biden’s announcement is the latest jolt to a tumultuous campaign for the White House, coming a week after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.
A disastrous debate with Mr Trump, who is the Republican Presidential candidate, had raised doubts about Mr Biden’s fitness for office just four months before the election.
During the debate, the president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out Mr Trump’s many falsehoods.
His gaffes at a NATO summit - invoking Russian President Vladimir Putin's name when he meant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and calling Ms Harris "Vice President Trump" - further stoked anxieties.
Support piled in from allies across the world after Mr Biden’s announcement, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer noting that “President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people.”
Minutes after announcing he was stepping back, Mr Biden offered his “full support” to Ms Harris, the party's instant favourite for the nomination, to be the Democrat nominee.
In a second post on his social media, Mr Biden said: “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.
“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.”
Ms Harris quickly vowed to “earn and win” the Democratic nomination for president and “defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda”.
The Vice President appears to be Mr Biden’s natural successor, in large part because she is the only candidate who can directly tap into the Biden campaign's war chest, according to federal campaign finance rules.
On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 21, 2024
I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.
There were early signs that the Democrats were moving to coalesce around Ms Harris, who scored the endorsements of the Congressional Black Caucus, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even before she had commented on Mr Biden's decision to quit the race.
But notably, former President Barack Obama held off, pledging support behind the eventual party nominee.
It remains to be seen whether other candidates would challenge Ms Harris for the nomination.
Weighing in on his Truth Social platform, former US president Donald Trump said: “Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was!”
He added: “We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Mr Biden explained that he plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon on January 20, 2025.
His decision came as he has been isolating at his Delaware beach house after being diagnosed with Covid-19 last week, huddling with a shrinking circle of close confidants and family members about his political future.
Mr Biden said he would address America later this week to provide "detail" about his decision.
