US President Joe Biden has ended his re-election campaign and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic candidate.
The 81-year-old president said yesterday that it was the "greatest honour" to serve but his withdrawal was "in the best interest of my party and the country".
The announcement came just four months before he was due to face former president Donald Trump in a rematch of the previous election.
It caps a tumultuous period in US politics, which began with his sometimes incoherent debate performance against Trump on June 27.
Biden said he will remain president until January.
Following the announcement on Sunday evening, Biden gave his endorsement in the presidential race to vice-president Harris.
He urged voters to rally behind Harris and defeat Trump in the polls, in a letter posted to his social media account announcing the withdrawal.
"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," he said on X. – July 22, 2024.
