By Biden drops out of US presidential race, endorses Kamala Harris
United States President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race has left Democrats grappling with unanswered questions about the way forward, with less than four months before election day.
Biden stepped aside on Sunday after weeks of pressure from fellow Democrats following a disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump in June.
Biden’s decision to withdraw is not merely unusual — it is unprecedented in modern US politics.
The announcement caps a tumultuous period in US politics, which began with his sometimes incoherent debate performance against Donald Trump on 27 June. Mr Biden says he will remain president until January.
Ms Harris, 59, said that she was “honoured” to be endorsed, adding she would “earn and win this nomination” and unite the country against Donald Trump.
“We have 107 days until election day,” she said. “Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.”
However, several other senior Democrats are also being touted as replacements, and a choice must be made at the party’s national convention in Chicago in August.
If the party struggles to unify around Ms Harris, the battle to succeed Mr Biden could play out on the convention floor.
A resurgent Trump meanwhile has pulled ahead in polling and was confirmed as Republican nominee at the party’s convention in Milwaukee this week, five days after surviving an assassination attempt.
Trump said on Sunday that the president “was not fit to run… and is certainly not fit to serve”. Other senior Republicans joined him in their criticism, and called on Mr Biden to leave the White House immediately.
