Biden backs VP Harris after dropping out of race — updates

JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate on Donald Trump's ticket, blasted Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, whom the president has endorsed in his stead.

"Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way," Vance said on X, formerly Twitter.

He said Harris had "co-signed" Biden's policies on border security and environmental issues, claiming such policies hiked housing and groceries prices.

"She owns all of these failures, and she lied for nearly four years about Biden's mental capacity," Vance said. "President Trump and I are ready to save America, whoever's at the top of the Democrat ticket. Bring it on."

United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to US President Joe Biden's "remarkable career" after the 81-year-old withdrew from the Democrat Party's nomination.

"I respect President Biden's decision and I look forward to us working together during the remainder of his presidency," Starmer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"I know that, as he has done throughout his remarkable career, he will have made his decision based on what he believes is best for the American people," he added.

Earlier this month, the British leader held talks with Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington D.C.

Starmer was asked by reporters about rumors swirling of Biden having symptoms of dementia. He replied that the president had been on "really good form."

Ireland's Taoiseach [prime minister] Simon Harris thanked Biden for his friendship to the Irish nation, noting that the US leader had visited the Republic and Northern Ireland the previous year.

He said Biden had expressed a "fierce pride" in his Irish ancestry and had acted as a voice for "reason, effective multilateralism and shared solutions."

Many people - pundits, politicians and average Joe-Democrats had been waiting for US President Joe Biden to withdraw from the Democratic Party nomination, DW's correspondent in Washington D.C. Stefan Simons said.

Simons described a "mixed reaction from the public" to Sunday's announcement, with some Democrats relieved after weeks of speculation about Biden's future.

"Others are angry and are blaming donors and the Democratic Party's elite — [former House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi, [Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and [House Minority Leader] Hakim Jeffries —  for having pressured President Biden into stepping away from the race," he said.

After Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party's nominee, a month before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and just four months before the presidential election, Simons said:

"The real work for Democrats to revive this campaign starts right now."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said US President Joe Biden'sdecision to pull out of the Democrat nomination for the White House deserves "respect"

Scholz praised Biden's achievements during his four-year term, including strengthening the NATO military alliance and rebuilding Washington's reputation globally.

"Joe Biden has achieved a great deal: for his country, for Europe, for the world," Scholz said on X, formerly Twitter.

"Thanks to him, transatlantic cooperation is close, NATO is strong and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us. His decision not to run again deserves respect."
 

Vice President Kamala Harris in a statement praised US President Joe Biden's move to step aside from the Democratic nomination, calling it "patriotic."

"With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else," she said in a statement.

Harris said she will "earn and win" the Democratic nomination and defeat Trump.  

"I am honored to have the president's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," she said. "I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump."

Former US President Barack Obama, who had privately shared doubts about Joe Biden's reelection chances, stopped short of endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat nominee.

Obama posted a statement after Biden announced Sunday he was pulling out of the race for a second term in the White House.

"Joe [Biden] understands better than anyone the stakes in this election — how everything he has fought for throughout his life, and everything that the Democratic Party stands for, will be at risk if we allow Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans control of Congress," the former president said in a statement.

"I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges," Obama added.

But he warned that the Democrats would be "navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead."

Former US President Bill Clinton and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said they were "honored" to join President Joe Biden in endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democrat nominee for the White House.

In a joint statement, the Clintons lauded Biden's "extraordinary career of service," after his decision not to run for reelection, and said his presidency had "rebuilt a battered economy, strengthened our democracy" and "restored our standing in the world."

Regarding Harris, the pair said they "will do whatever we can to support her."

"Nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term. He has promised to be a dictator on day one," they continued.

"Now is the time to support Kamala Hamas," and "fight with everything we've got to elect her," the Clinton's added.

The Democrats now must navigate a difficult path with their presidential candidate Joe Biden withdrawing from the race so late in an election year.

The party's convention next month was due to be a shoo-in for Biden, but will now likely be an open contest, allowing the 4,700 delegates to pick the party's new candidate.

Biden won every state primary and caucus earlier this year and only lost the territory of American Samoa. He had been promised the support of at least 3,896 delegates.

Biden is not allowed to pass that backing to another candidate, under party rules. However, his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris is significant for her chances.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer have been touted as potential rivals to Harris.

Given how important Black voters were for Biden, several Democrats have argued that Harris, as the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to hold national office, would be a no-brainer.

However, critics have argued that Harris has not been a popular or empowered vice president.

She must now solidify support from almost 4,000 Democrat delegates and some 700 so-called superdelegates, who include former presidents, party leaders and elected officials.

Harris could technically take advantage of Biden's total campaign financing worth $240 million (€220 million), electoral finance experts said, as the campaign was set up in both names.

Meanwhile, some Republican lawmakers have threatened to file lawsuits depending on what moves the Democrats make at this late point in the election cycle.

Biden's decision to abandon the race put the Democratic Party in uncharted territory. No presumptive candidate in American history has ever stepped out of the race so close to the election.

However, the head of the Democratic National Committee Jaime Harrison sought to reassure the public that the process will be "governed by established rules and procedures."

According to the Democratic official, "the work that we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear."

Harrison said his party will launch "a transparent and orderly process to move forward" with "a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November."

Even with Biden's endorsement, Vice President Kamala Harris is required to officially secure the support of the delegates at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago next month.

The conference will see nearly 4,700 votes on the next Democratic nominee. Biden has secured the support of nearly 3,900 of them by winning the primaries earlier this year.

While Biden's endorsement holds enormous political weight, he does not have the power to compel the delegates to vote for his nominee pick.

Harris will have to ensure the backing of her party before she can run — and fend off any challenges from other presidential hopefuls. While she is seen as Biden's most likely successor, she has also struggled with low approval ratings, comparable to those of her boss.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer paid tribute to US President Joe Biden after his decision not to run for a second term in November's presidential election.

"Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he is a truly amazing human being," Schumer said in a statement.

The Democrat said Biden's decision "was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first. Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American."

Along with several other Democrat lawmakers, earlier this week, Schumer privately told Biden it would be better for the country and the Democratic Party if he ended his reelection campaign.

US President Joe Biden was "not fit to run" for a second term in the White House, his Republican rival Donald Trump wrote on social media.

Trump made the comment shortly after Biden said he was dropping out of the race to be the next US president and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democrat's nominee.

The Republican went further, questioning Biden's capacity to stay on for the remainder of his term.

"Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve  And never was! ... We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly," Trump posted on his Truth Social network.

Trump also gave an interview to CNN, telling the US broadcaster that he thought Vice President Kamala Harris would be easier to defeat than Biden would have been.

After confirming he was dropping out of the presidential race, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. He said that picking Harris as vice president was "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," Biden wrote.

"Let's do this."

The 59-year-old Harris entered politics after rising through the ranks to become California's top public prosecutor. Her time in the White House, however, did not do much to raise her public profile. She was perceived as being in Biden's shadow and attacked by the Republican party over her efforts to curb the influx of immigrants arriving from Mexico.

Harris, however, has an advantage over other potential candidates due to her access to campaign funds she has already raised with Biden. The campaign recently reported having $91 million (€83.5 million) in its own funds, with allied campaign committees bringing the total to over $240 million. The money could prove decisive in the race against the Trump-Vance campaign.

Reacting to US President Joe Biden's announcement that he would not run again for the White House, DW's Washington Correspondent Ines Pohl said:

"The whole country ... was waiting for when it [the announcement] would happen, especially after the Republican National Convention last week in Milwaukee, where former President Donald Trump emerged as a strong and fit leader."

She said the gap between the two leaders widened following Trump's performance at the convention.

Asked whether Vice President Kamala Harris would now be the top contender for the Democrats, Pohl said:

"One would think so, but that is still in the air. There are many Democrats who want to have an open convention. That would mean that the delegates going to Chicago in three-and-a-half weeks would be able to vote for whoever they want," she added, referring to the Democratic National Convention from August 19 to 22.

"Of course, [Harris] is the vice president, she was Biden's pick [for that role]," Pohl said.

Minutes after posting his decision on social media, Biden endorsed Harris as the candidate for the Democrats for the November US presidential election.

US President Joe Biden confirmed he would be dropping out of the 2024 presidential race against Donald Trump.

"I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down," he said in an online message, adding he would be focusing on his work as president until the end of his term next January.

Biden has faced repeated calls to drop out along with questions over his advanced age and mental acuity following his disastrous performance against Trump three weeks ago. Up until today, he dismissed those calls.

In his Sunday message, he also thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for being an "extraordinary partner," before publishing a separate post endorsing her to take his place in the race.

As Biden's vice president and with her name already on the 2024 presidential ticket, Harris has a legal way to secure access to the funds she and Biden raised for their campaign.

dj,nm/ab (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)