U.S. President Joe Biden departs the White House on July 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden was traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada to deliver remarks at the NAACP National Convention and the UnidosUS Annual Conference. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race Sunday, he said in a letter posted to social media, creating an unprecedented vacancy atop the Democratic ticket one month before he was scheduled to officially accept his party’s nomination.
He will remain in office through the end of his term.
Biden’s withdrawal came after a weeks-long pressure campaign from party insiders following a disastrous June 27 debate performance against GOP candidate former President Donald Trump.
The move throws an already-unusual presidential race into further chaos, and it was not immediately clear Sunday how Democrats would choose a replacement for Biden in November’s election, though Vice President Kamala Harris would have a strong claim to lead the ticket.
After posting his initial letter, Biden endorsed Harris as his successor on social media.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” the post from his campaign X account said. “And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. 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.”
Biden, 81, appeared frail and confused at several points throughout the debate, leading to worries among elected Democrats and the party’s voters that he was no longer up to the task of governing or contesting Trump’s bid to win back the White House.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
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