'My intention is to win this nomination,' VP Harris says as Biden withdraws from presidential race

US President Joe Biden announced in a post on X that he will be exiting the race for president.

This comes amid weeks of speculation about Biden's health and increasing pressure from the Democratic Party to withdraw.

In the statement to X, published on Sunday, he said, "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." 

pic.twitter.com/RMIRvlSOYw

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

"I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision."

In his statement, Biden thanked Vice President Kamala Harris and expressed his "heartfelt appreciation for the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me."

"We just have to remember we are the United States of America," his statement concluded. 

It was unclear whether other senior Democrats would challenge Harris for the party's nomination, who was widely seen as the pick for many party officials - or whether the party itself would choose to open the field for nominations.

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The president later posted, "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 decision I’ve made. 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."

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… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

In a separate post to X, Biden strengthened his endorsement for Harris, writing, "And if you’re with us, donate to her campaign here." 

And if you’re with us, donate to her campaign here:https://t.co/A0T3v7ItQm

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

Biden's announcement follows a wave of public and private pressure from Democratic lawmakers and party officials to quit the race after his shockingly poor performance in a televised debate last month against Republican rival Donald Trump.

Former president Obama, whom Biden served under as vice president, responded, calling Biden "A dear friend and partner to me."

Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded – again – that he’s a patriot of the highest order. Here’s my full statement: https://t.co/Bs2ZumFXxe

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 21, 2024

Former US president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton commended Biden's decision to exit the race and endorsed Harris.

Statement from President Clinton and Secretary Clinton pic.twitter.com/R7tYMFWbsu

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) July 21, 2024

Days later he raised fresh concerns in an interview, shrugging off Democrats' worries and a widening gap in opinion polls, and saying he would be fine losing to Trump if he knew he'd "gave it my all."

His gaffes at a NATO summit - invoking Russian President Vladimir Putin's name when he meant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and calling Harris "Vice President Trump" -further stoked anxieties.

Only four days before Sunday's announcement, Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 for a third time, forcing him to cut short a campaign trip to Las Vegas. More than one in 10 congressional Democrats had called publicly for him to quit the race.

Biden had been particularly irked at former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom Biden advisers believed was orchestrating a pressure campaign to get him to stand down.

Biden's historic move -- the first sitting president to give up his party's nomination for re-election since President Lyndon Johnson in March 1968 -- leaves his replacement with less than four months to wage a campaign.

After the debate, Biden began losing ground to Trump in battleground states, and Biden's campaign was pursuing a razor-thin path to reelection.

"It became hard with the growing opposition within the party. We have to be united going into November. That was a factor," the senior White House official said, while noting that there had still been significant support for Biden across the country.

“I'm still processing it," said Marcus Mason, an at-large member of the Democratic National Convention.

"The president will go down in history as a patriot who put his country and party over his own ambitions," Mason said.

Hours before the shock announcement, the Biden campaign denied reports that he was planning to drop out.

"It is false. And I think that it is false to continue to try to gin up this narrative," deputy campaign manager Quentin Fulks told MSNBC's "The Weekend” on Sunday morning.

There were plenty of signs Biden had been thinking about pulling out for several days, with sources saying that the Democratic incumbent had been doing some soul-searching.

Biden endorses Vice President Kamala Harris

"I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election," Harris stated. 

"And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation – to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda."

To conclude her statement, the American VP noted, "Together, we will fight. And together, we will win," echoing a slogan that has become popular in Israel since the onset of the war. 

The question for Harris now is who her running mate will be.

These are some of the top people being discussed, provided they don't seek the presidential nomination themselves, according to people familiar with internal policy discussions.

Democratic Governor Andy Beshear has carved a successful political career in a heavily Republican state that voted for Republican Donald Trump by a margin of more than 25 percentage points in 2020. Beshear has touted his record of bringing jobs to Kentucky, supporting public education and expanding healthcare access. As governor, he has vetoed legislation banning abortions and gender-affirming care for transgender youth, although the vetoes were overridden by the Republican-dominated legislature.

US Senator Mark Kelly is well liked among Democratic Party elites for striking a relatively moderate tone in a hotly contested state that traditionally has favored Republicans, but which Biden won in 2020. A former US Navy captain and astronaut, Kelly is also the husband of former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously wounded in a 2011 shooting. Gun violence is a major campaign issue for Democrats.

Billionaire Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has proven a major force in the party, tapping his own financial resources linked to Hyatt Hotels H.N to help Biden's campaign effort and to stand up the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. While Illinois leans heavily Democratic, neighboring Wisconsin is one of the biggest prizes in the 2024 election.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has built a strong base in the closely contested state of Michigan, running on a platform of straight talk and kitchen-table issues. She attracted Biden's attention in 2020, being vetted as a possible running mate before Biden picked Harris. She was a top supporter of and spokesperson for Biden's reelection bid.

A Harris-Whitmer ticket would be the first all-woman ticket for a major US political party - a potential bonus in an election where women's reproductive rights are a top issue.

This is a developing story.