President Joe Biden, 81, announced on Sunday that he would no longer compete against Republican candidate Donald Trump, 78, in the 2024 presidential election. He also fully endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who is seeking the Democratic nomination.
“Today I want to fully endorse and support Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year,” Biden said on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “Democrats, now is the time to come together and defeat Trump. Let’s do it together.”
Harris, 59, who has already made history by becoming the first woman, first Black person and first South Asian American elected as the nation’s vice president, has received endorsements from several prominent leaders, including former Democratic presidents Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Notable silences: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama thanked Biden for his patriotism but did not endorse Harris or any other nominee. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who praised Biden’s decision to step down, also remained silent on who the Democratic nominee should be.
“We will be navigating uncharted territory,” Obama said in a statement, “but I have extraordinary confidence that the leadership of our party can create a process that will produce excellent candidates.”
What is Vice President Kamala Harris’ nationality and ethnicity?
Harris, a former California Senator and Attorney General, is a U.S. citizen born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland, California, to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father.
During her campaign, Harris sought to appeal to black leaders and voters through conversations in barbershops and at historically black colleges and universities. She attended Howard University, an HBCU, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, which mobilized in support of Harris and was seen at rallies.
Reuters contributed to this story.
