US President Joe Biden on Sunday dropped out of 2024 presidential race ending weeks of speculation and calls for him to withdraw.
The announcement came after a relentless campaign from the media and the Democrats demanding he withdraw because of his cognitive decline and his poor chances against Donald Trump who just a week ago survived an assassination attempt.
The 81-year-old stepped after batting weeks of questions over his fitness to serve following a disastrous presidential debate performance that sparked a series of gaffes that undermined his bid for re-election.
The historic move ends a 50-year career in politics that peaked with him being elected to the White House.
The announcement came on Sunday as Democrats went on TV shows to insist the President was not stepping down and would redouble his reelection efforts.
Mr.Biden said he would speak in more detail about his decision in remarks to the country later this week.
In the debate against Trump last month, the President on split screen often had his mouth open and when he was speaking, stumbled, froze and lost his train of thought.
In a post-debate rally, Trump,78, said that he was skeptical Biden would actually drop out of the race, claiming Democrats don’t have a better option against him in November.
Biden is not yet the Democratic Party’s official nominee and there is still time to replace him after weeks of speculation about a replacement candidate.
The Democrats’ nomination convention is August 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois.
Vice President Kamala Harris has been widely endorsed and other contenders for the presidential nomination are California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
