Kamala Harris promises to do 'everything in her power' to defeat Donald Trump after Joe Biden drops out of race
22 July 2024, 05:32 | Updated: 22 July 2024, 12:18
Vice-president Kamala Harris has promised to do everything in her power to defeat Donald Trump in November's election.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Joe Biden, 81, confirmed that he will no longer be seeking a second term on Sunday evening, a move that now flips the 2024 presidential race on its head.
Moments after announcing he was stepping down from the White House race, he took to X to endorse Harris.
Following the endorsement, Ms Harris said she was "honoured" to have his backing.
While Ms Harris has the backing of the current president, it is unclear at the moment if she will be selected unopposed as the new candidate.
The focus will now be on the Democratic National Convention which takes place next month in Chicago, where the party will pick its candidate to face-off against Republican nominee Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.
The President had faced growing pressure from his own party to step aside after a disastrous debate performance against Trump last month.
Speculation around his health reached fever pitch during the Nato summit where he mistakenly called Ukraine's President Zelenskyy, President Putin.
He was also pulled from the campaign trail after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Trump's immediate response to Biden's decision was to describe him as "the worst president in the history of our country."
He added that he thinks Harris will be even easier to defeat than Biden.
However, fighting back, Harris said: “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation – to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda."
Read Joe Biden's statement in full here
Joe Biden drops out of Presidential race
'Earn and win'
In a fundraising email sent after the announcement, Harris expressed her wish to secure the nomination.
"I am running to be president of the United States," one messages says.
"I am honoured to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination."
She said she needs Americans in the election "fight" and asked them to donate anything from $20 (£15) to $500 (£387).
Moments after the announcement Biden had dropped out the race, Republican nominee Donald Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to declare: "Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was!"
He added: "We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Responding to Joe Biden's decision to withdraw, Sir Keir Starmer said: "I respect President Biden's decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency.
"I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people.
It comes as Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez highlighted during an hour-long live-stream this week that US rules dictate campaign funds allocated to the race are only able to be transferred to Kamala Harris as Vice President, and not an addition candidate if nominated.
Lewis Goodall on why Kamala Harris is 'bad news' for Donald Trump
Following his statement, a host of international leaders past and present - including Barack Obama, Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer - have praised Mr Biden's resilience and devotion to the job.
His son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted last month on three charges linked to the purchase of a revolver in 2018, also shared an emotional message signed off with 'I love you dad' following the news.
He said: "For my entire life, I've looked at my dad in awe. How could he suffer so much heartache and yet give so much of whatever remained of his heart to others?
"Not only in the policies he passed, but in the individual lives he's touched.
"Over a lifetime I have witnessed him absorb the pain of countless everyday Americans who he's given his personal phone number to, because he wanted them to call him when they were hurting."
In a statement posted to Twitter, the current US president announced he was stepping down shortly after 7pm GMT, writing: "My Fellow Americans, over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation."
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
"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 significant 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.
He added: "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."
Shortly after his initial statement, the president made a second post, endorsing his running mate as the Democratic front runner.
He wrote: "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."
