Barack Obama praised Joe Biden on his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election -- but did not follow in the president's footsteps and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to become the next nominee for the Democrat party.
On Sunday (July 21), the 46th president of the United States shared a bombshell announcement on social media, revealing that he will not be seeking reelection in November.
In a letter addressed to "my fellow Americans," the 81-year-old wrote: "It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President.
"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," he added.
In a follow-up post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Biden declared that he is endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee who should face Donald Trump in the 2024 elections.
"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," he penned. "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."
The president plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon on 20 January 2025.
In response to the president's statement, Harris shared a message of her own, writing that she is "honored" to have Biden's support, and made it clear that her "intention is to earn and win this nomination".
Soon after, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced their backing for the 59-year-old, saying this was the best way to stop Trump from re-entering the White House for a second term as president.
"We've lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term," their statement read. "Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we've got to elect."
Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama advocated for an open Democratic primary process instead of publically endorsing Harris.
Read Obama's statement below:The 62-year-old, who picked Biden to be his vice president in 2008, shared a statement praising the politician for being a "dear friend and partner" as well as one of "America's most consequential presidents".
"President Biden pointed us away from the four years of chaos, falsehood, and division that had characterized Donald Trump's administration," Obama wrote. "I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight. For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life."
Obama commended Biden for making a decision that was "right for America," and said that it is "a testament" to his "love of country" and a "historic example of a genuine public servant once again putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own that future generations of leaders will do well to follow".
However, Obama did not back Harris in the statement, stating that the Democratic Party "will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead," but that he has "extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges."
Of course, this could simply be a case of Obama using his statement to keep the focus purely on Biden.
"I believe that Joe Biden's vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August," he continued. "And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond."
Senior Democrats Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Hakeem Jeffries, also applauded Biden’s decision without openly advocating for Harris, according to The Telegraph.
The official decision will be made on August 19 at the Democratic National Convention where delegates for the party will come together to cast their votes for Biden’s successor.
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