President Biden will not seek reelection, supports VP Harris as a replacement

By Angela Jones

WASHINGTON, July 21 – U.S. President Joe Biden announced today, on the platform formerly known as Twitter, his decision to not seek reelection. “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 decision I’ve made. 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.”

The president’s decision came after weeks of prodding by top democrats for him to make this announcement. He made the decision not to run in 2016 when his term as President Obama’s vice president was set to expire. At the time, President Biden cited grieving the death of his son Beau as his reason for not running for president in 2016.

Several Democratic Party leaders including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U.S. Senator Mark Warner, and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, are showing support for Biden’s decision to support Vice President Kamala Harris to be the next Democratic nominee for President. VP Harris has worked tirelessly next to the highly experienced President Joe Biden for several years. She has also worked to raise money for the Biden-Harris campaign.

President Biden released a letter that expanded on his decision not to continue his campaign to be reelected. Here is the full text of his letter:

My Fellow Americans, over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation. Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.

I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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 reelected. 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.