US president Joe Biden makes 'best interest' pledge as he ends White House re-election bid

US President Joe Biden has officially dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House, ending his bid for re-election as he declared the decision was "in the best interest of my party and the country".

The announcement comes after escalating pressure from Mr Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following a disastrous debate against Republican rival Donald Trump last month that raised doubts about the president’s fitness for office just four months before the election.

During the June 27 debate, the 81-year-old had trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to criticise the former president’s many falsehoods.

However, Mr Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon on January 20 next year.

And he has thrown his support behind vice-president Kamala Harris, the party’s instant favourite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago, to be the new Democratic nominee.

But while Ms Harris has also won the endorsement of Bill Clinton, the former US president, and his wife Hillary Clinton, her succession is far from assured, with Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer viewed as clear challengers.

Mr Biden pledged to address the nation "later this week in more detail about my decision".

US President Joe Biden speaks from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington last week. Picture: AP Photo/Susan Walsh

“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your president,” he wrote in a letter posted on his X account. “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.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who met the US President for the first time just two weeks ago at a Nato summit, paid tribute, saying: “I respect President Biden’s decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency.

“I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, President Biden will have made his decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people.”

First Minister John Swinney commended Mr Biden for his “selfless” decision to end his 2024 bid for the presidency”.

US President Joe Biden attends a working session on Artificial Intelligence. Picture: Christopher Furlong/PA Wire

"Joe Biden has served the people of the USA with devotion and total commitment,” he posted on social media.

"Now, in a typically selfless act, he steps aside to do what he thinks is right for his people. He came to Scotland for COP26 and made a powerful contribution. He has our best wishes for the future." And former prime minister Rishi Sunak praised Mr Biden’s “love for America and dedication to service”.

Mr Biden remains at his Delaware beach house after being diagnosed with Covid-19 last week.

In a medical statement, Mr Biden’s doctor said the president’s symptoms had “improved significantly”. Dr Kevin O’Connor said Mr Biden’s vital signs remained “absolutely normal” as he continued his treatment for the virus, adding “his lungs remain clear”.

The announcement is the latest jolt to a campaign for the White House that both political parties see as the most consequential election in generations, coming just days after the attempted assassination of Mr Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.

A party’s presumptive presidential nominee has never stepped out of the race so close to the election. The closest parallel would be president Lyndon Johnson who, besieged by the Vietnam War, announced in March 1968 that he would not seek another term.

Now, Democrats have to urgently try to bring coherence to the nominating process in a matter of weeks and persuade voters in a short amount of time their nominee can handle the job and beat Mr Trump. And for his part, Mr Trump must shift his focus to a new opponent after years of training his attention on Mr Biden.

Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the US and Americas programme at Chatham House, said: “The President’s announcement has created the challenge of a generation for the Democratic Party – to identify and unite behind a new nominee, and running mate, and to drive confidence and enthusiasm among registered Democrats, and undecided voters, especially in swing states.

“A new momentum in the Republican Party around its America First agenda has placed extra pressure on what is already an urgent problem for Democrats.”

The decision marks a swift and stunning end to Mr Biden’s 52 years in electoral politics, as donors, politicians and even aides expressed to him their doubts that he could convince voters he could plausibly handle the job for another four years.

Mr Biden won the vast majority of delegates and every nominating contest but one, which would have made his nomination a formality. Now that he has dropped out, those delegates will be free to support another candidate.

Ms Harris, 59, appeared to be the natural successor, in large part because she is the only candidate who can directly tap into the Mr Biden campaign’s war chest, according to federal campaign finance rules.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to be held August 19-22 in Chicago, but the party had announced that it would hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate Mr Biden before in-person proceedings begin.

In 2020, Mr Biden pitched himself as a transitional figure who wanted to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders. But once he secured the job he spent decades struggling to attain, he was reluctant to part with it.

Mr Biden was once asked whether any other Democrats could beat Mr Trump.

“Probably 50 of them,” Mr Biden replied. “No, I’m not the only one who can defeat him, but I will defeat him.”

Mr Biden is already the country’s oldest president and had insisted repeatedly that he was up for the challenge of another campaign and another term, telling voters all they had to was “watch me”.

And watch him they did. His poor debate performance prompted a cascade of anxiety from Democrats and donors who said publicly what some had said privately for months, that they did not think he was up to the job for four more years.

Concerns over Mr Biden’s age have dogged him since he announced he was running for re-election, though Mr Trump is just three years younger at 78.

Most Americans view the president as too old for a second term, according to an August 2023 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research. A majority also doubt his mental capability to be president, though that is also a weakness for Mr Trump.

Mr Biden often remarked that he was not as young as he used to be, does not walk as easily or speak as smoothly, but that he had wisdom and decades of experience, which were worth a whole lot.

“I give you my word as a Biden – I would not be running again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job,” he told supporters at a rally in North Carolina a day after the debate. “Because, quite frankly, the stakes are too high.”