Porni Banerjee | ২২ জুলাই ২০২৪ ১৬ : ৫২Porni Banerjee

US President Joe Biden has put an end to his re-election campaign on Sunday and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic candidate.

The decision comes after Biden’s allies asked him publicly to drop out of the presidential race following a recent disastrous debate with Donald Trump raised questions about the former’s fitness for office, causing a political earthquake in the US.

The President urged all to support Harris, 59, whereas the Vice-President praised Biden for his “selfless and patriotic act” and said that she intends to “earn and win this nomination”.

“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,” the 81-year-old Biden stated on X.

“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,” he added.

In a written statement on Sunday, Biden also said, that it was his “greatest honour” to serve as the US President, but his decision to step down was “in the best interest of my party and the country.”

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. 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,” he said.

Meanwhile, Harris released a statement saying she was “honoured” to be endorsed by Biden and added she would “earn and win this nomination” and unite the country against Trump.

“We have 107 days until election day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win,” she said.

If officially nominated, Kamala Harris will become the first Indian-origin woman to contest the US presidential elections.

Biden’s decision to bring an end to his race came after pressure from the Democratic lawmakers and party officials following his weak performance in the first presidential debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump.