My fellow Americans, I quit, says US President on November polls

President Joe Biden yesterday announced he was dropping out of the presidential race after mounting calls from Democrats for him to end his re-election bid. He then endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential race

Biden has failed to convince members of his party that he can defeat former President Donald Trump in November after his poor performance at the CNN presidential debate in June.

In a short letter he wrote yesterday, Biden said: “My Fellow Americans, 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. 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.

“I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once-in-a-century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.

“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President. While I have intended 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. I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.

“For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me re-elected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.

“I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”

In a phone call with CNN minutes after Biden announced his exit from the race, Trump described Biden as “the worst president in the history of our country.”
Independent Senator Joe Manchin was the latest high-profile lawmaker to call for Biden to step aside, telling CNN yesterday morning that the President should “pass the torch” to a new generation of leaders.

Manchin said he hoped the transfer of power could be done “in the most respectful way.”
•Endorses VP Kamala Harris
However, President Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential race.

Biden wrote on his official X handle yesterday evening, “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 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.”

Democratic delegate and Biden-Harris National Finance Committee member Lindy Li yesterday said it’s not her place to tell President Joe Biden to step aside, but Vice President Kamala Harris would be an “excellent candidate.”

Skipping over the vice president as a replacement option would be “political malpractice,” Li said on “Fox News yesterday.”

“She’s a consummate prosecutor, and she’s out there every single day effectively, prosecuting effectively the case — litigating the case against convicted felon Trump,” Li said.

The delegate, who was on a donor call Friday with Harris, described some people on the call as “antsy” amid ongoing concerns about Biden’s candidacy.

“She didn’t take any questions and I think she spoke for about four or five minutes. I think people were expecting more of an interactive conversation, but I understand that she’s busy. She just raised $2m just yesterday,” Li said, alluding to a Massachusetts fundraiser Harris headlined.

When Harris took the stage in Massachusetts yesterday, she was greeted with notable excitement from the crowd, who believed they might be looking at a replacement nominee, CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere reports.