Joe Biden has officially withdrawn as the US Democratic presidential candidate.
Following a poor performance in the first presidential debate against Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump, Biden announced the news in a statement on social media.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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,” Biden said in a letter announcing his decision.
In a follow-up tweet, he added: “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.
Biden went on to offer “my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” concluding his statement: “Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
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
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There have been several calls from those in the entertainment world for Biden to step down.
After watching the presidential debate on June 27, Stephen Colbert said Biden’s disastrous performance “took a year off my life”.
“I think that this is actually a battle of two virtues,” Colbert added. “One of them is perseverance. Biden is famous for that. There’s another competing virtue, and that is self-sacrifice, and self-sacrifice takes a particular kind of courage. And that is a courage I believe Joe Biden is capable of.”
Author Stephen King also suggested Biden should step down after the debate, saying it was in the “interest” of the country to do so.
“Joe Biden has been a fine president, but it’s time for him—in the interests of the America he so clearly loves—to announce he will not run for re-election,” he shared in a social media post.
In other news, Donald Trump has told George Clooney to “go back to TV” over his Biden article.