Who's next? Biden pulls out of US presidential race

Washington: Virtually dropping a bombshell, United States President Biden on Sunday announced that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race leaving the field wide open for another Democrat candidate to take on former president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.

With this announcement, Biden has ended his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.

The decision comes after escalating pressure from Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out the former president’s many falsehoods.

Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon on Jan. 20, 2025.

“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 wrote in a letter posted to his X account.

He did not immediately throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago. Earlier on Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat turned independent, urged Biden to drop his reelection bid. (AP)