Bhubaneswar: Bowing to weeks of pressure from the Democratic Party, US President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination for the Presidential Election race on Sunday.
“It has been the greatest honor 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 on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he said in a statement.
In a post on X, Biden added he will remain as President until his term ends in January 2025 and will address the nation this week.
By endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris within 30 minutes of his announcement he also left no room for any doubt about the way forward for the Democrats.
This comes after his poor debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27 which amplified concerns about 81-year-old president’s age and mental fitness amid repeated jibe by the Republic Party about his ‘inability’ to run for a second term. He had then failed to refute Trump’s claims that he actually had won the 2020 election, leaving sentences and thoughts unfinished. While Biden blamed his performance on jet lag and international travel, the rank and file in the Democrat Party urged him to drop out of the race.
Sources told news agency Reuters that Biden had a “last minute change of heart”, and up until Saturday night, had no intention to drop out of the race. The US president only changed his mind on Sunday afternoon, after multiple meetings with his top advisors.
US Vice President Kamala Harris said she was honoured to have President Joe Biden’s endorsement as the nominee of the Democratic party for the presidential election and asserted that her aim was to unite the nation in “defeating Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda”.
Reacting to the development, Trump said that the incumbent president was “not fit to run” and “is certainly not fit to serve.” “Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement,” he wrote on Truth Social.
His running mate J.D. Vance said, Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way.
Former US President Barack Obama, however, praised his fellow Democratic leader for opting out of 2024 presidential race in November. ““Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded — again — that he’s a patriot of the highest order, he said in a statement.
Elon Musk re-shared an old post that said ‘They are taking Biden fishing soon…’, and wrote, ‘poor Fredo’.
REACTIONS OF WORLD LEADERS
“I respect President Biden’s decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency. I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people.,” British PM Keir Starmer said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country respected Biden’s “tough but strong decision” and was grateful for his “unwavering support” as it fought to repel Russia’s invasion.
“We will always be thankful for President Biden’s leadership. He supported our country during the most dramatic moment in history, assisted us in preventing Putin from occupying our country, and has continued to support us throughout this terrible war,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“The current situation in Ukraine and all of Europe is no less challenging, and we sincerely hope that America’s continued strong leadership will prevent Russian evil from succeeding or making its aggression pay off.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was more focused on winning the war in Ukraine than the outcome of the US election. “The elections are still four months away, and that is a long period of time in which a lot can change. We need to be patient and carefully monitor what happens. The priority for us is the special military operation,” Peskov told state media.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed gratitude to Biden for his “friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades long career”.
“As the first US President to visit Israel in wartime, as a recipient of the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, and as a true ally of the Jewish people, he is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between our two peoples,” Herzog said in a post on X.
Canadian Prime Minister Justice Trudeau hailed Biden as a “great man” whose every action was “guided by his love for his country.”
“As President, he is a partner to Canadians — and a true friend. To President Biden and the First Lady: thank you,” Trudeau said on X.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his “friend” Biden had achieved a lot “for his country, for Europe, for the world”.
“Thanks to him, transatlantic cooperation is close, NATO is strong, and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us. His decision not to run again deserves recognition,” Scholz said on X.
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