Biden steps down, clearing the path for Kamala Harris in 2024 election

The President announced his decision in a statement published on Sunday evening GMT on the portal X, stating that serving as a president had been the greatest honour of his life.

"And 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 to focus solely on fulfilling the duties as President for the remainder of my term," Joe Biden stated in a statement published on the portal X.

In his statement, Joe Biden emphasized that America has made tremendous progress as a nation over the past three and a half years.

"I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our democracy. And we’ve revitalised and strengthened our alliances around the world," Biden stated.

For several days now, the media has been reporting that Joe Biden will announce his decision to withdraw from the re-election bid this weekend. According to the American portal Axios, this is due to the immense pressure that has become "unbearable" in recent days.

Eighty-one-year-old Joe Biden had garnered nearly all delegate support in the Democratic primaries. Over 35 members of Congress had called on him to withdraw from the race. However, he had previously ignored their calls.

Reuters comments that by stepping down from seeking re-election, Joe Biden has cleared the way for Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be the first Black woman in the country's history to run in the elections.

Since the June 27 debate with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, in which Biden performed poorly, many Democrats have privately and openly urged Kamala Harris to replace him as the candidate, believing she stands a better chance of defeating Trump.