UPDATED: Joe Biden drops out of US presidential race, endorses Kamala Harris as replacement

Unites States President Joe Biden has announced he is stepping down from the presidential race.

Biden made the announcement on his X status via a letter Sunday evening.

The 81-year-old who has been under considerable pressure to drop out of the race for age and health related reasons endorsed his vice, Kamala Harris to be nominated as presidential candidate in his stead.

Read also: Obama joins Democrat leaders urging Biden to exit presidential race

He had been under press “to pass on the torch” as the number of Democrats calling for his resignation continues to rise.
Currently, 37 Democratic and Independent lawmakers have publicly called for the President to quit ahead of the US elections in November.

Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat turned independent, became one of the latest high-profile politicians to turn their back on Mr Biden on Sunday, calling for him to drop his reelection bid and focus on the remaining months of his presidency.

“I came to the decision with a heavy heart that I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” the West Virginia lawmaker told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Dozens of Democrats in Congress have said it’s time for Biden to leave the race.

Four Democratic senators — Peter Welch of Vermont, Jon Tester of Montana, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sherrod Brown of Ohio — have said the Democratic president should abandon his reelection campaign against Republican Donald Trump.

Mr Biden’s debate performance raised open questions about the 81-year-old’s ability to mount a convincing campaign to defeat Trump.
“I’m concerned about the president’s health and well-being I really am,” Manchin said on ABC’s “This Week.”

But as the president remains isolated at his beach house in Delaware after being diagnosed with COVID-19, he has said he is ready to return to campaign this week and counter a “dark vision” laid out by Mr Trump.

Biden has insisted he can defeat Trump in a rematch from 2020 and has been meeting with family and longtime aides as he resists efforts to push him aside.

Read also: Biden-Trump Debate: American jokes are not funny

Nonetheless, Manchin said Biden should clear the way for other Democrats and spend the remainder of his term as “the president he always wanted to be, be able to unite the country, bring it back together, to be able to maybe spend all of his time on solving the problems in Gaza, bringing peace to Gaza and to the Middle East.

“Also being able to dedicate his time to enforcing, reinforcing Ukraine’s ability to defend and win their freedom, and then be able to show the rest of the world the orderly transfer of power from the superpower of the world.”

He also said, “I truly believe the Democratic Party needs an open process” in picking a new nominee.
Mr Manchin said he was not trying to have Kamala Harris, the vice president, replaced. “A healthy competition is what it’s all about,” Mr Manchin said.

Mr Manchin, himself a former governor, said, “I think that we have a lot of talent on the bench, a lot of good people, and I’m partial to governors, because a governor can’t afford to be partial.
“They can’t afford to be partisan strictly, because that pothole or that bridge doesn’t have a D or an R on it.”

He mentioned Governors Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania who, he said, “haven’t divided their state. They haven’t made you pick a side and demonise the other side. They have brought people together.
“This is what an open process would do, I think. It would bring more people out in a process that could bring Democrats like me back.”
But the Democratic National Committee’s rulemaking arm is pressing ahead with plans for a virtual roll call before August 7 to nominate the presidential pick, ahead of the party’s convention later in the month in Chicago.
Mr Manchin, who became an independent in May after years as a Democrat, is not seeking reelection to the Senate

He wrote:
“My Fellow Americans, Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.

“Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.

“I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.

“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.

“I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.

“For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.

“I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”