Biden resigns

President Joe Biden on Sunday called off his re-election campaign, ending weeks of intense speculation about his fitness to lead and mounting calls within his own party for him to step down.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden wrote in a public letter. “While it was my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country that I step down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”

Biden said he will formally address the nation about his decision later this week.

“Let me now express my deepest gratitude to all who worked so hard to see me re-elected,” Biden wrote. “I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all of this work. And let me express my sincere appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.”

The Biden camp followed up with a social media post in which the president expressed his support for Harris as the candidate for the top position.

“My very first decision as a party candidate in 2020 was to choose Kamala Harris as my vice president. And it is the best decision I have ever made,” it reads. “Today I want to give my full support and endorsement to Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and defeat Trump. Let’s do this.”

Biden’s decision comes less than a month before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and just over 100 days before the November U.S. general election.

This is a developing story. Follow Arkansas Money & Politics for further updates, analysis and local impact throughout the election season.

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