Richard Arnold: US President Joe Biden standing down from 2024 presidential race, endorses Kamala Harris - The Mike Hosking Breakfast

• Joe Biden has pulled out of the election race, saying it was in the best interest of the Democrat party and the country for him to stand down as candidate.
• Democrats had been calling for him to stand aside, over increasing concerns for his health and ability to win the election race against Donald Trump.
• He made a series of gaffes in recent months that raised questions about his ability to hold the position for another term.
• Biden endorsed Kamala Harris as the next leader for the party.

US President Joe Biden has ended his re-election campaign after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the party’s candidate.

Biden, 81, in a post on X, said he will remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025 and will address the public this week.

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“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, 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.

His initial statement had not included an endorsement of Harris but he followed up a few minutes later with a post including an expression of support.

His move could clear the way for Harris, 59, to run at the top of the ticket.

It was unclear whether other senior Democrats would challenge Harris for the party’s nomination – she was widely seen as the pick for many party officials – or whether the party itself would choose to open the field for nominations.

Biden as of Saturday night had planned to stay in the 2024 presidential race, but told senior staff on Sunday afternoon that he was withdrawing, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

“Last night the message was proceed with everything, full speed ahead,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“At around 1.45pm today: the president told his senior team that he had changed his mind.”

Biden’s announcement follows a wave of public and private pressure from Democratic lawmakers and party officials to quit the race after his poor performance in a June 27 televised debate last month against Republican rival Trump, 78.

Days later he raised fresh concerns in an interview, shrugging off Democrats’ worries and a widening gap in opinion polls, and s