US President Joe Biden quitted Sunday the 2024 presidential race and threw his weight behind his deputy Kamala Harris to take the Democratic Party’s flag and continue the race.
“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter to his Democratic Party posted on his X account.
Biden bowed out after weeks of pressure that began with a disastrous debate performance that raised fears over his health.
The stunning move makes Biden the first president in US history to pull out so late in an election race, and the first to bow out because of concerns over his mental acuity and health.
Biden spent more than three weeks resisting calls to step down following the shock of the June 27 debate.
He announced his support to his Vice-President Kamala Harris to get the Democratic Party’s presidential race nomination nod.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the n
ominee of our party this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.” The 59-year-old Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother.
She was the first Black person and the first woman to serve as California’s attorney general, and then was the first US senator of South Asian descent.
She is now the first woman and first Black vice president.
Source: Kuwait News Agency