REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - In a Facebook post on Sunday, July 21, President Joe Biden announced that he will not be running for reelection and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris.
"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." said Biden.
Biden stating in a letter on social media that, "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."
President Joe Biden stating in a letter on social media that, "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."
A party’s presumptive presidential nominee has never stepped out of the race so close to the election. The last time this happened, President Lyndon Johnson, besieged by the Vietnam War, announced in March 1968 that he would not seek another term after just a single state’s primary. Biden is currently still isolated in his Rehoboth Beach home, as he continues to recover from COVID-19, according to the White House pool.
According to the Associated Press, former President Trump’s campaign has immediately started fundraising off Biden’s announcement, sending a note to supporters that said "he just quit the race in COMPLETE DISGRACE!"
Biden said he will address the American people later this week "in more detail about my decision."
Democrats are set to hold their convention in Chicago on Aug. 19 to 22. A now open contest in which nearly 4,700 delegates will be responsible for picking a new candidate, said AP.
This decision comes just over two weeks after the assassination attempt on Trump.