"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve you as President," Biden wrote in the statement shared Sunday, before endorsing VP Kamala Harris as his pick for the Democratic nominee.
President Joe Biden is stepping down and dropping out of the race for the White House amid mounting pressure from within his own party and elsewhere.
Biden announced the news Sunday in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) in which he announced that he will not be on Democratic ticket in 2024, making way for a new presidential candidate.
After touting some his accomplishments over his four years in office, including expanding affordable healthcare to a record number of Americans and passing the first gun safety law in 30 years, POTUS said he believed it was in the best interest of both his party and the country for him to step down at this time.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024 @JoeBiden
"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," Biden wrote.
"I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision," he added. "It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President."
Biden continued, "For now, let me express my deepest gratitude for all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me."
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View Story"I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can't do -- when we do it together," he said, concluding the lengthy statement. "We just have to remember we are the United States of America."
Biden also used the moment to endorse his VP, Kamala Harris, for the Democratic ticketing, writing in another post on X, "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," he continued. "Democrats -- it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this."
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… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024 @JoeBiden
Top Democrats, including former President Barack Obama had been calling on Biden to drop out, as well as some big names stars like George Clooney.
See who else has called for Biden to step down in the gallery below.