Biden withdraws from US presidential race

Mercury Biden withdraws from US presidential race 1 hour • 3 minutes reading time US election campaign In this US election year, almost nothing is as it used to be. Now comes the big dramatic turnaround. And America is heading for an uncertain future. Washington - US President Joe Biden no longer wants to run for a second term in the November election. The Democrat announced his withdrawal from the presidential race via social media Instagram, Facebook and X. In recent weeks, the 81-year-old has come under massive pressure from his own party because of his age and mental state. Biden's withdrawal so shortly before the election is a dramatic turnaround and is causing further chaos in an already historic US election year. "Although it was my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country if I step down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," the Democrat wrote in a written statement. "I will speak to the nation in more detail about my decision later this week." The crisis of the past few weeks Biden came under extreme criticism after a disastrous performance in a televised debate against former President Trump at the end of June. During the exchange of blows, the most powerful man in the world regularly stumbled, lost his train of thought, stared into space with his mouth open and was often unable to finish his sentences properly. There had already been reservations within the Democratic Party and among the population about his re-election ambitions because of Biden's age. But after the debate, the debate about Biden's suitability as the Democratic presidential candidate flared up on a whole new scale - and in public. After the debate, Biden's poll numbers had deteriorated significantly again. And in his own party, one after the other dared to publicly demand Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race. The president himself initially tried to talk his way out of it. He justified his weak performance with fatigue as a result of strenuous trips abroad. He said he had not listened to his advisors and had overreached himself. At various appearances, he was defiant and assured time and again that he would not withdraw. But more blunders followed. And in the end, the pressure from his own ranks became too great. In recent days, Biden had retreated to his private home in Rehoboth Delaware after being infected with the coronavirus and had not attended any public events. During his forced break, he now decided to bow to the pressure from his party colleagues. Democrats face a mammoth task The Democrats must now change course in the shortest possible time and arrange a succession. In recent weeks, Biden's deputy Kamala Harris has increasingly come into focus as a replacement candidate. The 59-year-old has so far remained pale in her vice-presidential office at Biden's side, but in view of his weakness, she recently received the support of a whole series of important party members. The Democrats will officially nominate their presidential candidate at a party convention in Chicago in mid-August. The Republicans have already officially chosen their presidential candidate, Donald Trump, at a nominating party convention in Milwaukee. Biden had repeatedly claimed until recently that he was the only one who could beat Trump. An election year like no other Even before this greatest possible complication, this US election year was one that stood out on all levels, especially with regard to the Republican candidate. With Trump, a convicted criminal is running for the highest office in the state. The Republican is the first ex-president of the United States to be found guilty in a criminal case - for concealing a hush money payment to a porn actress. This has so far not harmed the 78-year-old in the election campaign. There are other criminal proceedings against him - but these cases are unlikely to go to trial before election day. The most recent US election year in 2020 was already chaotic. Trump did not accept his election defeat against Biden at the time, but tried to reverse the election result using drastic means. His campaign culminated in a violent attack by his supporters on the US Capitol in which several people were killed. dpa