SwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

Biden drops out – Harris sets her sights on taking over

USA's President Joe Biden will not run in the autumn's presidential election. He announces that he supports Vice President Kamala Harris as the new presidential candidate. "My intention is to earn, and win, the nomination", writes Harris in a statement.

» Published: July 21 2024

Biden drops out – Harris sets her sights on taking over
Photo: Susan Walsh/AP/TT

USA's President Joe Biden will not stand in the autumn's presidential election. He announces that he supports Vice President Kamala Harris as the new presidential candidate.

"My intention is to earn and win the nomination", Harris writes in a statement.

It was on Sunday evening Swedish time, after increasing pressure from heavyweight Democrats, that Joe Biden finally threw in the towel.

"I had intended to try to be re-elected, but I believe it is in my party's and country's interest that I step aside and focus fully on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term", Biden writes in a letter on X.

In a subsequent post on the platform, he announces his support for Kamala Harris as presidential candidate.

"My first decision as presidential candidate in 2020 was to choose Kamala Harris as my Vice President. It is the best decision I have made", the President writes, and adds:

"I give my full support to Kamala as a candidate for our party."

Harris praises Joe Biden's "selfless and patriotic" decision.

"I am honored to receive the President's support and my intention is to earn and win the nomination", she writes in a statement.

Address to the Nation

In his letter, Biden also writes that he will address the nation later in the week to provide more details about his decision to withdraw.

Biden's withdrawal changes the game plan, notes Dag Blanck, Professor of North American Studies at Uppsala University. But the news did not come as a surprise.

It was not unexpected, one cannot say that, there has been a long period of pressure on Biden to do this. It means that the entire election campaign is being shaken up and entering a new phase. Right now, there are very many unknown factors, he says to TT.

The demands for the 81-year-old to step down as presidential candidate have increased in recent times. A total of over 30 Democratic members of the House of Representatives and three senators have urged him to hand over the baton.

Also Obama

Even former President Barack Obama and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, have expressed doubts about Biden's ability to defeat the Republicans' Donald Trump, according to American media reports.

There was a growing number and eventually it was too many. Then he understood that it wouldn't work. He's doing it out of concern for the party so that it has a realistic chance now to find a new candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November, says Dag Blanck.

Joe Biden, born in 1942 in the mining town of Scranton in Pennsylvania, is the 46th President of the United States.

He was Barack Obama's Vice President between 2009 and 2017. Before that, he was Delaware's senator for 36 years.

Biden is known as a cross-party centrist politician. Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, he highlighted his experience, his broad foreign policy knowledge, and his working-class background.

He is married to Jill Biden and has two living children. Biden's gripping family history is well-known in the USA. His first wife died in a car accident in 1972, along with their one-year-old daughter. Biden, who had been elected senator just a month earlier, became a single father to sons Beau and Hunter – who were also injured in the accident. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015. Together with Jill Biden, he has daughter Ashley Biden.

Joe Biden became the oldest incoming President in US history when he won the election against Donald Trump in 2020

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Ukraine Claims Destruction of Russian Helicopters in Belgorod Region

Ukraine Claims Destruction of Russian Helicopters in Belgorod Region

Egypt Proposes New Ceasefire Plan with Hostage Release and Aid to Gaza

Egypt Proposes New Ceasefire Plan with Hostage Release and Aid to Gaza

US Delegation's Greenland Visit Sparks Controversy Over True Intentions

US Delegation's Greenland Visit Sparks Controversy Over True Intentions

Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu Named Opposition Presidential Candidate

Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu Named Opposition Presidential Candidate

Russian Spy Cell in Austria Posed as Ukrainians to Sway Public Opinion

Russian Spy Cell in Austria Posed as Ukrainians to Sway Public Opinion

USA and Russia Begin Ceasefire Talks in Riyadh

USA and Russia Begin Ceasefire Talks in Riyadh

Netanyahu Accuses Security Chief of Unauthorized Probe into Minister

Netanyahu Accuses Security Chief of Unauthorized Probe into Minister

199 Deported Migrants Return to Venezuela from the USA

199 Deported Migrants Return to Venezuela from the USA

Building a New Syria Through Reconciliation Efforts

Building a New Syria Through Reconciliation Efforts

South Korea Court Dismisses Impeachment of Acting President Han

South Korea Court Dismisses Impeachment of Acting President Han

Suspect Swallows $700K Tiffany Earrings in Bold Orlando Heist

Suspect Swallows $700K Tiffany Earrings in Bold Orlando Heist

France Criticizes Turkey Over Istanbul Mayor's Imprisonment

France Criticizes Turkey Over Istanbul Mayor's Imprisonment

Canada Sets April Election Date as Tensions with Trump Rise

Canada Sets April Election Date as Tensions with Trump Rise

EU's Kaja Kallas Visits Israel and West Bank for Key Talks

EU's Kaja Kallas Visits Israel and West Bank for Key Talks

Turkish Regime Jails Istanbul Mayor, Sparking Opposition Tensions

Turkish Regime Jails Istanbul Mayor, Sparking Opposition Tensions

Zelensky Urges Pressure on Putin as US Mediates Ukraine Talks

Zelensky Urges Pressure on Putin as US Mediates Ukraine Talks

Israeli Airstrikes Target Southern Lebanon After Rocket Launch

Israeli Airstrikes Target Southern Lebanon After Rocket Launch

Pope Francis Thanks Supporters in First Appearance After Hospital Stay

Pope Francis Thanks Supporters in First Appearance After Hospital Stay

Three Civilians, Including Two Children, Killed in Sudan Shelling

Three Civilians, Including Two Children, Killed in Sudan Shelling

World War II Bomb in Norway Safely Disarmed by Experts

World War II Bomb in Norway Safely Disarmed by Experts

Imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu Poised to Challenge Erdogan

Imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu Poised to Challenge Erdogan

Israel Neutralizes Drone Allegedly Launched from Yemen

Israel Neutralizes Drone Allegedly Launched from Yemen

Central Asian Workers Tricked into Ukraine Conflict by Russian Recruiters

Central Asian Workers Tricked into Ukraine Conflict by Russian Recruiters

Russian Drone Strikes on Kyiv Leave Three Dead, Including Child

Russian Drone Strikes on Kyiv Leave Three Dead, Including Child

Israeli Strike Hits Gaza Hospital, Hamas Leader Reportedly Killed

Israeli Strike Hits Gaza Hospital, Hamas Leader Reportedly Killed

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu Dismissed After Arrest

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu Dismissed After Arrest

US Envoy Praises Putin as a Leader and Friend of Trump

US Envoy Praises Putin as a Leader and Friend of Trump

Israelis Rally in Tel Aviv as Opposition Calls for General Strike

Israelis Rally in Tel Aviv as Opposition Calls for General Strike

US Officials Visit Greenland Sparking Speculation on Intentions

US Officials Visit Greenland Sparking Speculation on Intentions

Ten Officers Injured in Dramatic Paris Car Chase

Ten Officers Injured in Dramatic Paris Car Chase

England to Plant 20 Million Trees in First New National Forest in 30 Years

England to Plant 20 Million Trees in First New National Forest in 30 Years

Platform X Closes Accounts in Politically Unstable Turkey

Platform X Closes Accounts in Politically Unstable Turkey

China Eases Marriage Rules to Tackle Population Decline

China Eases Marriage Rules to Tackle Population Decline

Sudanese Refugees Seek Shelter in Chad as Aid Dwindles

Sudanese Refugees Seek Shelter in Chad as Aid Dwindles

Fatah Urges Hamas to Relinquish Control for Palestinian Future

Fatah Urges Hamas to Relinquish Control for Palestinian Future

State of Emergency in South Korea as Forest Fire Claims Four Lives

State of Emergency in South Korea as Forest Fire Claims Four Lives

Trump Decision Forces 500,000 Migrants to Leave the USA

Trump Decision Forces 500,000 Migrants to Leave the USA

Pope Francis Set to Leave Hospital After Pneumonia Treatment

Pope Francis Set to Leave Hospital After Pneumonia Treatment

Protests Erupt in Istanbul as Mayor Faces Terror Allegations

Protests Erupt in Istanbul as Mayor Faces Terror Allegations

Zelensky Visits Troops in Key Ukrainian City During Russian Assault

Zelensky Visits Troops in Key Ukrainian City During Russian Assault