Following his decision not to seek reelection, Joe Biden has promptly endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, for the US Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
Initially, Biden’s statement did not include an endorsement of Harris, but he quickly followed up a few minutes later with a show of support for her candidacy.
In a post on X, Biden announced that he will continue serving as President and Commander-in-Chief until his term ends in January 2025 and that he will address the nation later this week.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. Although I had intended to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to step aside from that pursuit and focus entirely on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote.
“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.”
Harris, 59, would make history as the first Black woman to lead a major-party ticket in the country. A poll from the Associated Press/Norc Center for Public Affairs Research, published on Friday, revealed that 60% of Democrats believe Harris would perform well as president.
Biden’s announcement comes after significant public and private pressure from Democratic lawmakers and party officials for him to withdraw from the race, following his notably poor performance in a June 27 televised debate against Republican rival Trump, 78.
Although Kamala Harris has the backing of the current president, it is unclear at the moment if she will be selected unopposed as the new candidate.
The new nominee will be selected at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month, where over 4,000 delegates—party officials and activists—will gather to cast their votes.
He mentioned that he would address the nation on the matter next week.
Last week, he returned to his home in Delaware after being diagnosed with COVID-19, but stated on Friday that he looked forward to “getting back on the campaign trail next week.”
Previously, he had claimed that only the “Lord Almighty” could make him withdraw, but later indicated he might reconsider if faced with a health condition.
