In a letter posted to social media, President Joe Biden announced Sunday he was ending his campaign for reelection.
“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.” Biden wrote.
President Biden said he would address the nation later in the week to go into greater detail.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President.” Biden said.
In a separate post, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.” Biden said.
Vice President Harris released a statement in response to the Sunday announcement.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination...I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party - and unite our nation - to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.” Harris said.
Biden had been under intense pressure to end his reelection bid from numerous top Democrats since his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump in June.
The former president and current Republican presidential nominee responded to the news on his social media platform.
“He was not fit to serve from the very beginning, but the people around him lied to America about his Complete and Total Mental, Physical, and Cognitive Demise.” Trump posted.
After the announcement, some lawmakers began calling for Biden to resign the presidency.
“If Joe Biden is unfit to run for re-election, he is unfit to carry out his term. 25th Amendment.” Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin posted on social media.
Oklahoma Congressman Kevin Hern shared a similar message, “If Joe Biden is unfit to be the Democrat nominee for president, he’s unfit to be president for the rest of his term. For the good of the country, Joe Biden should resign immediately.” Hern wrote.
Oklahoma Congressman Josh Brecheen also echoed that sentiment.
“If President Biden is not well enough to be the next Democrat nominee, he is not well enough to continue serving as President. President Biden should resign immediately.” Brecheen posted.
Oklahoma Senator James Lankford weighed in, saying Biden’s age was not the issue.
“As I have said for months, President Biden was behind in every poll because of his policies, not his age or mental capacity. Democrats gave us high prices, open borders, and weak standing in the world.” Lankford wrote.