Biden Steps Aside From US Presidential Race Against Trump, Endorses Kamala Harris: Top Points

US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he will not seek reelection and endorsed Vice President and Indian-American leader Kamala Harris as his successor amid mounting pressure within the Democratic Party to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race against GOP nominee Donald Trump. Here are 10 important points to note:

• Biden’s Decision: Biden yielded to increasing calls from Democratic lawmakers and donors to step aside, foregoing his reelection bid. “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,” he said in a statement.
• Harris’s Endorsement: Biden swiftly endorsed VP Harris as the Democratic nominee, urging unity to defeat Trump in 2024. “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,” he said.
• Trump and GOP Response: Trump and his allies have already begun targeting Harris, anticipating her nomination and preparing to counter her candidacy. Minutes after Biden dropped out of the White House race on Sunday, Trump called Biden the “the worst president ever”. In a conversation with CNN, Trump said, “He (Biden) is the worst president in the history of our country. He goes down as the single worst president by far in the history of our country.”
• Democratic Party Divided: Biden’s decision has disrupted the 2024 presidential race, leaving uncertainties about how Democratic delegates will align and potential challenges to Harris’s nomination. The Democratic Party has been deeply divided since Biden’s poor debate performance on June 27, which left many questioning his ability to defeat Trump in November and secure another term.
• Harris DNC Support: Harris’s campaign officials and allies made hundreds of phone calls on Sunday, locking in delegates’ support for her presidential nomination ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August while seeking to block any would-be challengers. At the same time, Democratic state party chairs held a Sunday afternoon call to discuss backing Harris as the party’s nominee. Several participants said Harris has the chairs’ full support.
• Running Mate Search: With Harris likely to lead the ticket, speculation surrounds who will join her. Several Democratic governors and a senator are potential picks: Andy Beshear (Kentucky), JB Pritzker (Illinois), Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania), Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan), Roy Cooper (North Carolina), and Mark Kelly (Arizona). California Gov. Gavin Newsom is also mentioned, but it’s unlikely due to the ticket rule barring candidates from the same state.
• Democratic fundraising group ActBlue said Sunday evening that it had seen its biggest single-day haul of the 2024 election after US President Joe Biden dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. “As of 9pm ET, grassroots supporters have raised $46.7 million through ActBlue following Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign launch. This has been the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle,” said a post on X by the group, which facilitates online fundraising for Democratic candidates.
• Indian-American lawmakers threw their weight behind Joe Biden’s decision to bow out of the 2024 race to the White House and endorsed Vice President Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee. Click here to find out how Indian-American lawmakers reacted to Biden’s decision to quit the race to the White House:
• Independent presidential candidate: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared the White House race a “two-man race,” asserting he was the sole contender who can defeat Trump following Biden’s surprising decision to withdraw from seeking a second term. Kennedy made these remarks at a hastily arranged press conference at his family’s renowned compound in Massachusetts. He criticised Democratic Party leaders for allegedly concealing the president’s mental decline.