WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Joe Biden, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, announced Sunday on X that he won’t be running for reelection against former President Donald Trump.
In a letter, the 81-year-old incumbent writes that he believes it is in the best interest of the Democratic Party and the country for him to “stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling” his duties for the remainder of his term.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. 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 wrote on X after sharing the letter.
Harris, 59, released a statement describing Biden’s decision as “selfless and patriotic” and vowed to “earn and win” the nomination.
“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” Harris said.
RELATED STORY | Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here’s how that might work
The CNN presidential debate on June 27 was defining for Biden. Nearly three dozen Democrats in Congress called for him to drop out of the race. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin was the latest to join the uproar on Sunday.
“All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t,” Trump wrote in a statement released on Truth Social.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said during This Week In South Florida that although Biden did not have a good night during the debate, she was among the Democrats who supported his candidacy because of his record.
“America cannot afford to have a convicted felon like Donald Trump return to the Oval Office,” Wasserman Schultz said on TWISF about Trump’s hush money conviction in New York.
RELATED STORY | Far-reaching accomplishments that didn’t translate into political support
Evan Power, the chairman of the Florida GOP, said during This Week In South Florida that after the attempted assassination and after the Republican National Committee it was clear Republicans were united behind Trump.
“Kamala Harris shares all the poor track record of Joe Biden. Just look, she was in charge of the border. The border is the worst it has ever been” Power said on TWISF. “I am confident whoever we run against we are going to win big in November.”
Harris was the first woman to serve as U.S. vice president.
If the Democratic party follows Biden, she will be the first Black woman on a U.S. presidential ticket. And if she beats Trump, she will be the first woman to serve as U.S. president. Trump was confident that was not going to happen and criticized Biden.
“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly,” Trump wrote. “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
The DNC’s rules committee meets on Friday. The virtual roll call is on the first week of August and the DNC is on Aug. 19, in Chicago, Illinois.
RELATED STORY | Harris could become first woman, second Black person to be president
MORE ABOUT HARRIS
Harris was born in Oakland, California. Both of her parents were immigrants.
Her Jamaican-American father, Donald J. Harris, an economist, taught at Stanford University. He is 85. Her Indian-American mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a biomedical scientist in Berkley. She died in 2009.
After graduating from Howard University, Harris graduated from The University of California College of Law in San Francisco and she went on to serve as a prosecutor and U.S. senator.
President Barack Obama endorsed her for California attorney general in 2010. Harris wed Douglas Emhoff in 2014, and she later launched her presidential bid in 2019. She ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
COMPLETE COVERAGE
Related post on X
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. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Related post on Truth Social
Read Biden’s letter
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Joyce Grace Ortega contributed to this report.
Related conversations on This Week In South Florida
GOP perspective
Democratic perspective
Guidance for voters
Roundtable
EDITORIAL with Bert Medina