President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for President in the 2024 election, announced Sunday afternoon that he would be stepping aside from the race.
In a message shared to his social media accounts, President Biden wrote “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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.”
He later added that he will address the nation “in more detail” later this week.
He concluded his message by stating “I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing American can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
As the word of the intention for President Joe Biden to step aside from his re-election campaign percolated on social media, many in the news media marveled at the news Sunday afternoon, expressing surprise over the announcement. Other took a victory lap, claiming they had predicted the outcome.
After his initial announcement, President Joe Biden endorsed his Vice President, Kamala Harris, as his choice to take over his place opposite former President Donald Trump — the freshly-appointed Republican nominee after last week’s convention — on the 2024 ballot. On Sunday afternoon, Harris signaled her interest in accepting that placement.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris wrote. “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.”
