President Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.
“My Fellow Americans,” Biden addressed his announcement, which was shared on social media. “Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.”
“Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We've made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We've provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances,” he continued. “Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.”
Biden went on to share additional accolades before announcing his plans to withdraw from the 2024 election.
“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 shared.
Biden added, “I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”
The president faced mounting pressure from several Democrats to step down from the race following his debate against former President Donald Trump last month. The president appeared to take long pauses, stumble over his words, and spoke hoarsely, leaving critics with questions about his mental acuity for reelection.
Biden's team attributed his debate performance to a cold, but that didn't stop several Democrats from speaking out about the president dropping out of the race.
Vice President Kamala Harris emerged as the likely choice to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee for the presidency. Fundraising efforts from the Biden campaign could be transferred over to Harris if she took over the ticket, and she's already been vetted.
Other Democrats including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were also floated as potential replacements for Biden.
Roughly 4,000 party delegates are set to vote for the presidential nominee in early August ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
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