Embattled Joe Biden on Saturday announced his decision to drop out of the US presidential election race, saying “it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down”. The 81-year-old President decided to end his re-election bid amid mounting pressure from his Democrat allies, including former President Barack Obama.

Biden, in a post on X, said that he would now solely focus on fulfilling his duties as President and Commander-in-Chief for the remainder of his term which ends in January 2025 and will address the nation this week.

“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,” Biden wrote.

“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President,” he added.

Soon after bowing down from the presidential race, Biden, in another X post, extended his support to Vice President Kamala Harris to run at the top of the ticket. If accepted, Harris will be the first Indian-origin Black woman to run as a US presidential candidate in the country’s history.

“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. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” Biden said.

The 81-year-old President’s decision comes four months before Americans go to the polls on November 5.

Biden’s decision to exit the White House race comes after significant pressure from both Democratic lawmakers and party officials following his disastrous presidential debate performance against his Republican rival and former US president Donald Trump last month.

Meanwhile, reacting to Biden’s announcement, Republican candidate Donald Trump told CNN that he thinks Kamala Harris will be easier to defeat in November’s election than Joe Biden.