President Joe Biden has announced that he will no longer seek reelection in the 2024 election, instead deciding to step down as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Biden shared the news in a letter posted to his social media account on Sunday.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek 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 shared.
The president went on to say that he would share more with the nation later this week about the decision.
In a separate post, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take over for him as the Democratic nominee.
"My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this," Biden wrote.
In his first letter, he thanked Harris "for being an extraordinary parter in all this work."
The decision from Biden comes after weeks of scrutiny and worry amongst Democrats after his disastrous debate against former President Donald Trump in June.
Biden had maintained for weeks that he was still the best option to beat Trump in the election, but with growing doubt amongst Congressional Democrats, the president has decided to step down.
It is not immediately known who will replace him, though the decision is expected to be made final at the Democratic National Convention in August.
This is a breaking story that will be updated as more information becomes available.