President Biden on Sunday announced that he is stepping aside as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his party’s nominee. In a statement posted on his social media accounts, President Biden said that while it was his intention to seek reelection, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
During an address to the nation on Wednesday, President Biden explained his decision, saying that “the defense of democracy is more important than any title.” This decision followed weeks of debate among Democrats as to whether the president would be capable of defeating Donald Trump in November, especially after his difficult debate performance against Trump nearly a month ago.
President Biden is the first president to not seek reelection since 1968, when Lyndon Johnson announced he would not seek a second term amid growing opposition to the Vietnam War.