Biden announces withdrawal from 2024 presidential race

US President Joe Biden has announced his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. In a statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Biden said:

"Serving as President has been the greatest honor of my life. Although I had planned to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and our country for me to step aside and focus on fulfilling the duties of my office for the remainder of my term."

The announcement follows recent setbacks, including a problematic televised debate with Donald Trump and a summit where Biden mistakenly confused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Russian President Vladimir Putin. These events led to calls within the Democratic Party for Biden to withdraw from the race.

Initially, Biden resisted calls to drop out but recently indicated he might reconsider due to health concerns. Reports suggest that Biden had already decided to withdraw but planned to make the announcement after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States concludes.