President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he was ending his campaign for a second term, after a month of pressure from Democratic officials over concerns about his capacity to campaign going forward.
His first act upon exiting the race, in a post to X, was to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket.
"My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term," wrote Biden. "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."
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"Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year," he continued. "Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this."
Already some other figures in the Democratic Party are beginning to rally around Harris, who has widely been considered the natural successor, although some officials and party donors have pushed to have an open and competitive process for choosing Biden's replacement.
Around the same time of Biden's annoucnement, Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) posted a coconut and palm tree emoji — a meme that has become widely adopted on social media as a symbol for Harris, referencing a colorful speech she made.
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. 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… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
