President Joe Biden has surprised many by announcing that he will not seek re-election in 2024. Instead, he has endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for the presidency.
In a letter posted on his social media, Biden stated:
“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.”
Biden went on to say that his “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.” He then offered his full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.
The decision follows discussions about Biden’s age (81) and ability to serve another term, which were raised during recent debates with former President Donald Trump. These concerns appear to have influenced Biden’s choice to focus solely on his duties as President for the rest of his current term.
If elected, Kamala Harris would be the first woman and the first person of South Asian descent to hold the presidency. She now faces the challenge of securing the Democratic nomination and preparing for a potential general election battle against Donald Trump.
The Democratic National Committee has assured a fair and organized process to choose their nominee, though it remains to be seen if other candidates will emerge to compete with Harris for the party’s nomination.
