US President Joe Biden is ending his re-election bid and pulling out of this year’s presidential race.
The 81-year-old made the bombshell announcement in a letter he posted on social media while isolating with COVID-19 at his home in Delaware.
He has thrown his support behind Vice-President Kamala Harris to replace him as the party’s candidate.
“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,” he said.
In his letter, Biden said it had been “the greatest honour of my life to serve as your president.”
“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, 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 the term,” he said.
Biden will address the nation on his decision later in the week.
Harris has since released a statement calling Biden’s decision to end his re-election campaign a “selfless and patriotic act.” She said she intends to “earn and win this nomination.”
Source: The Daily Telegraph.