Read President Joe Biden’s full letter announcing he is withdrawing from the 2024 primary race

President Joe Biden announced to the nation on Sunday that he is “dropping out” of the 2024 presidential race.

The news comes as several leading Democratic voices have called on Mr Trump to abandon his re-election bid after a shaky debate performance against former President Donald Trump in June.

Read Biden’s full letter announcing his withdrawal from the 2024 race below:

“My fellow Americans, over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a nation. Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We have made historic investments to rebuild our nation, to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and to expand affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We have provided much-needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. We have passed the first gun safety law in 30 years.

She appointed the first African-American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate bill in world history. America has never been better positioned to lead than it is today.

I know that none of this could have been accomplished without you, the American people. Together, we have weathered an unprecedented pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We have protected and preserved our democracy. And we have revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.

It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while I intend to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and country for me to step aside and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term. I will speak more fully to the Nation about my decision later this week.

For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to everyone who worked so hard to see me re-elected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all of this work. And let me express my deepest gratitude to the American people for the faith and trust they have placed in me. I believe today what I have always believed: There is nothing America cannot do – when we do it together. We must simply remember that we are the United States of America.

In a follow-up message on X On Sunday, Biden also announced his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.

“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and will focus all of my energy on serving as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party’s nominee in 2020 was to choose Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it was the best decision I have ever made. Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement to Kamala Harris to be our party’s nominee this year. Democrats, it is time to unite and defeat Trump. Let’s do it,” he wrote.