Biden endorses Kamala Harris as Democrats' candidate after withdrawing from race

Joe Biden, President of the United States, has endorsed his Vice, Kamala Harris, to be the nominee of the Democratic Party in the upcoming presidential election after his withdrawal from the race.

This is coming a few minutes after Biden announced on Sunday, July 21, 2024, that he will not seek re-election into the Oval Office in the November 5 contest.

The President bowed to intense pressure mounted on him by Democrats and supporters after his gaffe-filled performance in a debate with his predecessor and Republican candidate, Donald Trump, in late June.

Biden didn't only look frail on the stage, but also dropped a series of verbal gaffes and appeared to lose his train of thought mid-speech.

The abysmal outing raised concerns among his fanbase, especially as Trump continued to keep a healthy margin lead in opinion polls.

Former US Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, was among the first prominent party faithful to publicly call on Biden to opt out of the race.

At the last count, no fewer than 30 Democrats in the Senate and Congress also asked the President to throw in the towel in order to save the party from an embarrassing defeat in November.

Biden and Trump both said it call comes down to who Americans vote for in November.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images

Biden pulls out of US presidential race

In yielding the calls, Biden said he believes the move is in his country's best interest and would allow him to focus on fulfilling his duties for the remainder of his term.

He subsequently nominated Harris to lead the Democrats in the all-important election.

He disclosed this in a post on his X on Sunday, where he also rallied party members to come together and ensure that his predecessor doesn't return to office.

"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.

"Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats - it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this," Biden wrote.

Harris faces DNC hurdle

This development comes a few weeks before the Democrats National Convention (DNC) slate for Chicago, where Biden had been expected to accept his party's nomination.

This by no means represents a clear sail for Harris to fly the Democrats' flag in the election as there are still hurdles she might have to scale before that time.

In the wake of the announcement, some influential Democrats, including Leader Hakim Jefferies, have applauded Biden for heeding the calls to withdraw from the contest but have remained silent on the Vice President's endorsement.

The President is currently recuperating at his home in Delaware after he tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

He has promised to address Americans later in the week to explain his decision in more detail