U.S. President Joe Biden announced in a statement today, Sunday, that he will not run for re-election in the 2024 presidential election, emphasizing that he will focus on his duties as president for the remainder of his term. According to a statement posted on his X platform page, the announcement came after an assessment of the situation with senior officials in his administration, where Biden expressed pride in the achievements made over the past three and a half years, pointing to the strength of the American economy, historic investments in rebuilding the nation, improving healthcare, and strengthening democracy.
Biden noted that his decision was in the best interest of his party and the country, stating that he will address the nation later this week with more details regarding his decision. He expressed his deep gratitude to all those who worked towards his re-election, with special thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris for her exceptional partnership in this work.
Biden concluded his statement by saying, "There is nothing America cannot do when we work together. We just have to remember that we are the United States of America."
Below is the text of Biden's historic announcement regarding his withdrawal from the U.S. election race:
"My fellow Americans, over the past three and a half years, we have made significant progress as a nation. Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We have made historic investments in rebuilding our nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable healthcare for a record number of Americans. We provided critical care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. We passed the first gun safety law in 30 years.
We appointed the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. We passed the most significant climate legislation in world history. America has never been in a better position to lead than we are today. I know that none of this would have been possible without you, the American people. Together, we have overcome a once-in-a-century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We protected and preserved our democracy. We revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve you as your president. While it was my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to step back and focus only on performing my duties as president for the remainder of my term.
I will speak to the nation later this week with more details about my decision. For now, let me express my deep gratitude to all who worked hard to see me re-elected. I would like to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an exceptional partner in all this work. And let me express my deep appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
I believe today, as I always have: there is nothing America cannot do—when we do it together. We just have to remember that we are the United States of America."
