Biden ends floundering re-election campaign, backs Harris as Democratic presidential nominee

U.S. President Joe Biden dropped his faltering re-election bid on Sunday amid intensifying opposition within his own Democratic Party and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to replace him as the party's candidate against Republican Donald Trump.

Biden, 81, in a post on X, said he will remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025 and will address the nation this week. He has not been seen in public since testing positive for COVID-19 last week and is isolating at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

«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 wrote.

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said the American people will hear from the party on next steps and the path forward for the nomination process soon. It was the first time in more than a half-century that an incumbent U.S. president gave up his party's nomination.

If officially nominated, Harris, 59, would become the first Black woman to run to lead a major-party ticket in U.S. history. A former attorney general of California and former U.S. senator, she ran unsuccessfully for president against Biden in 2020.

«My intention is to earn and win this nomination,» Harris said in a statement. «I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump.»

Biden's campaign had been on the ropes since a disastrous June 27 debate against former president Trump, 78, in which the incumbent at times struggled to finish his thoughts. Trump accepted his party's nomination at a convention last week.

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