Joe Biden bows out

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Sunday dropped out of the 2024 Presidential race, bowing to immense pressure from the Democratic Party.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Biden said while it had been his 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 focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

He thanked his vice-president Kamala Harris for being and "extraordinary partner," but did not endorse her as the party nominee for the Presidency in the initial statement he posted on X, in which he also said he would speak to the nation later in the week.

But in a follow-up post on Twitter, he said his very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as his Vice President, calling it "the best decision I’ve made" and adding, "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. Let’s do this," he said.

The statements, posted on X, shortly before 2 pm on Sunday (before midnight IST) did not give any reasons for dropping out of the race. But it came after growing opposition to his nomination from other party leaders, lawmakers, and prominent backers who felt Biden was too feeble and infirm to undertake a strenuous campaign and win against a rampant Donald Trump.


Biden resisted the growing revolt in the party for many days, dubbing them as "Democrat elites," but eventually the pressure got too much. A bout of covid that put him out of action for a few days added to his misery that began with a disastrous performance in the first debate with Trump earlier this month.

Party grandees and leaders will now begin the process to nominate Biden's replacement with Harris best placed to succeed, particularly after the President's endorsement. If there is no consensus on her candidacy in the next week or so, it will set the stage for an open convention in Chicago on August 19.

There are only 106 days to go before Election Day on November 5. No president has dropped out so late in the race.

While 106 days might seem a lot in other electoral democracies such as India, UK, and Israel, which can run campaigns and conduct polls in a matter of days or weeks, elections in the US is a different deal altogether, with candidates having to raise millions in funding in order to woo voters with intense advertising and on-the-road rallies in a vast country four times India's size.

Regardless of his decision to bow out of the Presidential race, Biden will remain in the White House as President till January 20, 2025 when the newly elected President will take over.