Joe Biden Endorses Kamala Harris To Run Against Donald Trump

President Joe Biden announced Sunday he would not seek reelection this year and instead endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, likely shutting down any talk of an open convention at the Democratic nominating convention next month.

“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,” Biden wrote in a post on X, formerly called Twitter.

“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,” he continued. “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.”

Biden’s surprise announcement Sunday upended what was already a turbulent presidential race following Trump’s recent assassination attempt and Biden’s poor performance against Trump in a debate last month, opening a wave of Democratic calls for him to step aside for a younger nominee.

Some Democratic lawmakers who expressed concerns with Biden’s physical fitness and his ability to beat Trump in November had called on the party to hold an open convention, giving Harris and other potential presidential contenders an equal opportunity to lead the party in the future. Others, however, argued that Harris had earned the job and that denying the first Black vice president the nomination would send the wrong message to Black voters.

Biden’s support for Harris, 59, will make challenging her harder for other Democrats potentially interested in doing so. The Democratic Party bench includes several prominent candidates,