US President Joe Biden has withdrawn from the upcoming presidential election and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris for the job.
While Mr. Biden had been the presumptive nominee, his suboptimal performance in the debate with former President Donald Trump was attributed to his age, triggering calls within the Democratic party for him to withdraw his candidacy from the November 5 poll.
President Biden, 81, took to Twitter to say that he would focus his energies on finishing his current term and speak to the nation later this week about his latest decision.
Kamal Harris, 59, contested for the presidential nomination in 2020 but ended up as President Biden’s running mate. Ms. Harris, whose mother Shyamala Gopalan hails from India, worked as California’s Attorney General and Senator.
Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, were amongst the first to endorse Kamala Harris following President Biden’s decision.
Ms. Harris, if the Democratic party supports her candidacy, would be up against former President Donald Trump, the Republican party’s presumptive nominee.