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US President Biden ends Re-election Bid, Endorses VP Harris

US President Joe Biden has ended his election campaign for a second term and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic Party candidate.

It puts an end to the debate about the 81-year-old’s re-lection bid following a less than satisfactory performance in the debate against Republican candidate and former president, Donald Trump on June 27.

In a written statement on Sunday, Biden said that it was the greatest honour of his life to serve, noting that his withdrawal was “in the best interest of the country.”

Analysts say Biden’s decision to stand down from the US elections is an example for African leaders to put national interests first before their political ambitions.

Biden said, “It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President. And 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 my term.

“I will speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision. For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me re-elected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work.

“And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me. I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”

US Vice President Harris, 59, expressed that she was “honoured” to be endorsed by President Biden.

“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. I am honoured to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” US Vice President Harris wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“We have 107 days until election day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win,” she stated.

On January 20, 2021, 59-year-old Harris became the first woman, first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected as Vice President

Former US President Barack Obama, among other leading Democratic figures, have praised Biden’s decision, while highlighting his achievements.

“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. Since taking office, President Biden has displayed that character again and again, Obama noted in an official statement.

Although Harris is yet to be officially nominated by the Democratic Party, which will hold its National Convention in August, majority of Democrats in Congress and nearly half of the country’s Democratic governors have since announced their support for her, according to the New York Times.

The US Presidential elections will hold in November.

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