New York [US], July 22: US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday he was stepping down from the 2024 US presidential race.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president," he said in an online post.
"And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down."
The 81-year-old president has been facing calls to resign since the debate against Donald Trump three weeks ago, where he seemed frail, was struggling to focus, and slurring his words. Before the latest statement on Sunday, however, Biden tried to project defiance and dismissed those calls.
While confirming he would not be running against Trump at the November election, Biden indicated he would be staying on as president until the end of his term.
Biden also did not explicitly endorse his vice president, Kamala Harris, as the next Democratic nominee.
This could signal the start of a complicated and potentially acrimonious process within the party to find its new candidate and mount a new campaign to challenge Trump.
Source: Times of Oman