SANDEEP SHARMA
SAN FRANCISCO — President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will end his presidential re-election campaign, bringing an abrupt and humbling conclusion to his half-century-long political career and scrambling the race for the White House less than four months before Election Day.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Biden, 81, could not reverse growing sentiment within his party that he was too frail to serve and destined to lose to Donald Trump in November. He backed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee.
Biden, after a five-decade career, faced a reckoning over his age and his ability to defeat Trump. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his party faces a historic effort to replace him.
Vice President Harris said Sunday that she intends to “earn and win” the Democratic presidential nomination after President Biden’s announcement that he is stepping aside as the party’s nominee. Harris vowed in a statement to defeat Donald Trump. Biden said in a letter to fellow Americans on Sunday that “it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President.” Harris was calling fellow Democrats on Sunday to shore up support.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with President Biden a number of times over the phone on Sunday before he announced he was exiting the presidential race and would endorse her campaign, according to a person familiar with the talks who shared the details on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the conversations.
