US President Joe Biden has announced that he is dropping out of his re-election battle with Donald Trump, in a historic move that plunges the already turbulent 2024 White House race into uncharted territory.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve you as president," the 81-year-old Democrat said in a letter in X, posted while he was recovering from Covid at his beach house in Delaware.
"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 focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."
Mr Biden said he would "speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision".
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
President Biden also endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate in November's election.
He said it was time for his party to come together to defeat the Republican Donald Trump.
In a statement on X, Mr Biden said: "Today 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."
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it's been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Former president Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have also backed Kamala Harris to be the new Democrat presidential candidate.
'Not fit to run'
Republican candidate Donald Trump said Joe Biden was "not fit to run" and "is certainly not fit to serve" as president.
On the Truth Social network he said: "We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly."
Mr Trump also said he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris will be easier to defeat in November's election than Mr Biden.
"Harris will be easier to beat than Joe Biden would have been," Mr Trump told CNN.
Mr Trump and his campaign later also attacked Mr Biden and Ms Harris on social media while saying Mr Biden was unfit to continue serving as president.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Joe Biden must resign as president "immediately".
He said: "If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to serve as president. He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough."
Meanwhile, Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said Joe Biden was a "true patriot" by abandoning his bid to retake the White House.
"Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he's a truly amazing human being. His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first," Mr Schumer posted on X.
The former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Joe Biden "is a patriotic American who has always put our country first. His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history".
'A voice for reason'
Taoiseach Simon Harris said Joe Biden "has been a voice for reason, effective multilateralism and shared solutions".
In a statement this evening, Mr Harris said: "Joe Biden, in all the offices he has held, has always been an unwavering voice and passionate worker for peace on the island of Ireland and our country owes him a great debt for this."
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he Joe Biden had been an "abiding friend of Ireland" and that he had heard the news of his decision not to seek re-election with "sadness and admiration".
Mr Martin said Mr Biden provided "invaluable support for peace & prosperity on this island".
He said: "This has no doubt been the toughest of calls, but one done, as ever, with dignity & class. I know that the people of Ireland will wish President Biden the very best."
I heard the news of President Biden's decision with both sadness & admiration.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) July 21, 2024
He has been an abiding friend of Ireland, providing invaluable support for peace & prosperity on this island. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/pbamsn5Tmx
Decision time for the Democrats
The Democratic Party is now plunged into chaos and needs to find a new candidate by November's election, with Vice President Kamala Harris the frontrunner.
Mr Biden bowed out after weeks of pressure that began with a disastrous debate performance that raised fears over his health.
The stunning move makes Joe Biden the first president in US history to pull out so late in an election race, and the first to bow out because of concerns over his mental acuity and health.
He spent more than three weeks resisting calls to step down following the shock of the 27 June debate, at one point insisting that only the "Lord Almighty" could convince him to back out.
In a bid to show he was up to the job, he gave a number of interviews and what was billed as a "big boy" press conference in which he took numerous questions, but made further gaffes including calling Ms Harris "Vice President Trump."
A tide of voices within his own party calling on him to go, starting with donor and actor George Clooney and ending with former president Barack Obama, sealed his fate.
The end finally came shortly after Mr Biden had been diagnosed with Covid, forcing him off the campaign trail and into isolation.
His decision to pull out also caps a tense and chaotic period in the US election, with Donald Trump having survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally on 13 July.
He joins a small club of US presidents who have decided to throw in the towel after just one term, with the last being Lyndon Johnson in 1968 - a year also marked by political turmoil and violence.
Johnson's replacement as nominee, then-vice president Hubert Humphrey, went on to lose heavily to Richard Nixon.
But Democrats are counting on Ms Harris to fare better, and hoping that she can prevent Donald Trump from making a sensational comeback to the Oval Office.
In recent weeks, the Biden campaign has reportedly been quietly carrying out a head-to-head survey of voters measuring how she matched up against Mr Trump.
While Ms Harris struggled to make an impact in her first years in the White House, she has emerged in the last year as a strong performer on the campaign trail on key messages such as abortion rights.
The former prosecutor has also made much of her life story as the first woman in US history to hold the vice presidency, as well as the first person of Black and South Asian origin.
Ms Harris is now set to be nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on 19 August in what promises to be a dramatic moment - and a heartrending one for Mr Biden.
Joe Biden took office in January 2021 pledging to heal the "soul of America" after four turbulent years under Mr Trump and the shock of the 6 January, 2021 Capitol assault by his supporters.
Overcoming a reputation for verbal flubs, Barack Obama's former vice president pushed through a massive Covid recovery plan and a green industry scheme.
US allies welcomed his pledge that "America is back" following Mr Trump's trampling on international alliances, and his strong support for Ukraine as it battled Russia's 2022 invasion.
But he faced criticism over the catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and inflation that meant overstretched Americans ignored otherwise positive economic numbers.
Behind it all were the ongoing concerns about his age with a series of senior moments, including tripping up the stairs to Air Force One and falling off his bike, contributing to the doddery image played up by Republicans.
