Joe Biden drops out of election, throwing White House race into disarray

Updated 46 minutes ago

US President Joe Biden has ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his Democratic candidate, a rare move that upends an already tight race for the White House.

Biden, 81, said in a written statement Sunday that serving as president was “the greatest honor” but that stepping down was “in the best interest of our party and our country.”

The announcement brings to an end a tumultuous period in U.S. politics that began with Biden’s sometimes incoherent performance in a debate with President Donald Trump on June 27. Biden has said he will remain president until January.

Harris, 59, said she was “honored” to receive the endorsement, adding that she plans to “earn and win this nomination” and unite the country against Donald Trump.

“There are 107 days left until Election Day,” she said. “We will fight together. And we will win together.”

But several other Democratic Party officials have also been floated as possible candidates to replace him and a choice must be made at the party’s national convention in Chicago in August.

If the party struggles to unite around Harris, the fight to succeed Biden may be pushed to the convention floor.

Meanwhile, a resurgent Trump is leading in the polls and was endorsed as the Republican nominee at the Republican convention in Milwaukee this week, five days after surviving an assassination attempt.

Trump said Sunday that the president is “completely unfit to hold the office of the presidency and completely unfit to serve,” a criticism echoed by other Republican leaders who called on Biden to leave the White House immediately.

A party source told the BBC that although Mr Biden had spoken to Ms Harris in advance, White House staff were only informed just minutes before the statement was released on Sunday afternoon.

Dozens of senior Democratic and party leaders, including former President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were quick to praise the decision and praise Biden’s work during his time in office.

But not everyone has openly embraced Biden’s endorsement of Harris.

Obama said he had “tremendous confidence” that “an outstanding nominee will emerge,” but did not explicitly endorse Harris. Pelosi has not commented.

Senator Peter Welch, the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to forgo reelection, called for an “open process” for nominating Harris.

Former President Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton have endorsed her as their candidate, saying they will “fight tooth and nail to get her elected.”

Several potential nomination challengers also praised Biden but declined to comment on their support for the vice president.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said her job was to “do everything in our power to get Democrats elected and stop Donald Trump.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom praised Biden as a “selfless” president but declined to comment further on who would succeed him.

Current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Biden has “earned his place as one of the most accomplished and influential presidents in American history.” Buttigieg also did not address next steps for the party.

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee has filed a petition to change the name of its fundraising committees to the Harris Victory Fund and the Harris Action Fund.

Two major Democratic donors, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and investor Alexander Soros, have publicly endorsed Harris.

“When faced with the choice between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, I trust the American people will make the right decision for our country,” Hoffman said in a statement on X/Twitter.

But within an hour of Biden’s announcement, the campaign finance arm of the pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again ran an ad attacking Harris, claiming that “she covered up Joe’s obvious intellectual decline.”

“No matter who the left puts in office now, it’s going to be the same guy,” Donald Trump added.

Biden has faced intense scrutiny since his performance at the June debate, less than two weeks after hosting a high-profile summit with NATO leaders in Washington.

He said at one point in an interview that only “Almighty God” could force him to withdraw, but later said he would consider withdrawing if his health deteriorated. On Friday, he pledged to return to campaigning next week after being in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.

Biden thanked Harris in a statement Sunday and said she had been an “exceptional partner.”

“And I want to express my sincere gratitude to the American people for the trust and confidence they have placed in me,” the statement added.

“I believe today, and always will, that there is nothing America can’t do — if we work together. And we must never forget that we are the United States of America.”

Democratic National Committee officials held an emergency meeting Sunday night.

The focus now shifts to the party’s national conference, scheduled to begin on August 19.

Biden won his party’s primaries by a landslide, and delegates representing each state had pledged to vote for him at the convention, but are now expected to be released to vote for another candidate.