Read President Biden's letter announcing his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race
President Biden announced his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race Sunday, ending his reelection bid and leaving open the Democratic nomination less than a month before the party's convention in August.
The announcement came several weeks after Mr. Biden's fumbling performance in the debate against former President Donald Trump, his Republican challenger, fueled concerns about his fitness to serve another term in Washington. They were made worse by the president's recent COVID-19 diagnosis, which pulled Mr. Biden off of the campaign trail to isolate at his home in Delaware, and coincided with a growing number of lawmakers — including some Democrats — calling for him to step aside.
Mr. Biden and his campaign leaders had pushed back against those calls and insisted that he was steadfast in his choice to stay in the race. But, in a letter addressing the American public and shared on social media Sunday afternoon, the president confirmed that he had removed himself from contention.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. 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 my duties as President for the remainder of my term," said Mr. Biden in the letter, which began by citing some of the achievements of his administration during the current term.
"I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people," he wrote. "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 revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world."
Mr. Biden also threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, endorsing her candidacy for the White House in a social media post.
"My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President," Mr. Biden posted on social media. "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."
The president said that he would provide more details about the decision to withdraw in a speech later this week.
Read Mr. Biden's full letter here:
My Fellow Americans,
Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.
Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We've made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We've provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most important climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
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 revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. 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 my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.
For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can't do — when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.
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- Joe Biden
- 2024 Elections
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.
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