Joe Biden ends bid for re-election but does not endorse a successor – live

The Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, has joined those calling on Joe Biden to resign, while saying Kamala Harris will not perform any better as a candidate.

“The party’s prospects are no better now with Vice President Kamala Harris, who co-owns the disastrous policy failures of the Biden Administration. As second in command and a completely inept border czar, Harris has been a gleeful accomplice — not only in the destruction of American sovereignty, security, and prosperity, but also in the largest political coverup in U.S. history. She has known for as long as anyone of his incapacity to serve,” Johnson said in a statement.

“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.”

He also characterized the Democratic party as undemocratic, alleging that, by dropping out, Biden “invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who selected Joe Biden to be the Democrat nominee for president”. Expect to hear that argument repeatedly in the months to come from Republicans who are looking to counterattack Democratic attacks that Donald Trump is not fit to serve for his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

“Having invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who selected Joe Biden to be the Democrat nominee for president, the self-proclaimed ‘party of democracy’ has proven exactly the opposite,” Johnson wrote.

Donald Trump had this to say about Joe Biden’s decision to exit the race, as posted on Truth Social:

Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was! He only attained the position of President by lies, Fake News, and not leaving his Basement. All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t - And now, look what he’s done to our Country, with millions of people coming across our Border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists. We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

CNN got on the phone with Donald Trump not long after Joe Biden bowed out of the presidential race, who told the network he thinks Kamala Harris will be easier to beat:

Leading Republicans in the House of Representatives have called on Joe Biden to resign the presidency immediately, following his decision to end his bid for re-election.

Here’s House Republican conference chair Elise Stefanik:

If Joe Biden can’t run for re-election, he is unable and unfit to serve as President of the United States. He must immediately resign.

The Democrat Party is in absolute free fall for their blatantly corrupt and desperate attempt to cover up the fact that Joe Biden is unfit for office.

Every elected Democrat in America owns Joe Biden’s failed and feckless record causing the border crisis, Bidenflation, and chaos and weakness around the world.

President Trump will win this November to save America.

And Kevin Hern, chair of the Republican Study Committee, which is influential in crafting conservative policy in the House:

In his letter announcing the end of his re-election campaign, Biden said he would serve out the rest of his term.

Joe Biden has announced that he is endorsing vice-president Kamala Harris as his successor for the Democratic presidential nomination:

The Senate’s Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who was reported to have recently expressed concerns to Joe Biden about his ability to win re-election, has this to say about the president’s decision to end his campaign:

Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he is a truly amazing human being. His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first.

Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American.

Naomi Biden described her grandfather as “the most effective president of our lifetime”, after he announced his decision to withdraw from the presidential race:

Reacting to her husband’s decision to end his bid for re-election, first lady Jill Biden simply tweeted out a “heart” emoji:

She was undoubtedly involved in Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw.

In his letter announcing that he would end his bid to her a second term, Joe Biden thanked Kamala Harris, but did not endorse the vice-president or any other Democrat as his replacement.

The president called Harris “an extraordinary partner in all this work”, and noted he would address the nation “later this week in more detail about my decision”.

Here is Biden’s full statement:

President Biden has just announced that he will no longer 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,” he said Sunday afternoon in a post on Twitter/X.

Biden’s announcement comes as a mounting chorus of Democrats have called for him to step aside following a disastrous debate against Republican rival Donald Trump.

The Guardian will provide breaking updates here as we learn more about Biden’s decision.

Joe Biden will not stay in the 2024 presidential race as the Democratic candidate, he announced on Saturday.

The announcement comes several weeks after the US president’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, which turned whispers about his age and fitness into a roar.

This is breaking news, and we’ll cover all the latest updates here.