The president announced his decision in an open letter shared to social media Sunday.
President Biden announced Sunday that he was pulling out of the 2024 campaign following a weeks-long pressure campaign from fellow Democrats that began in earnest following his much-criticized debate performance in late June.
“I believe it is in the the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down,” Biden said in a statement posted to X. He added that he plans to address the nation later this week. In a separate post following the announcement, Biden wrote that he is endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, to be the Democratic nominee for president.
“Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump,” he wrote. “Let’s do this.”
Biden’s exit from the presidential race comes less than a month before the Democrats are scheduled to hold their nominating convention in Chicago starting on Aug. 19. It also raises questions about who will replace him at the top of the ticket, how that person will be picked and whether they have a better shot at defeating former President Donald Trump than the 81-year-old current president.
Here are the latest developments.