US President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he has decided not to run for re-election in the nation’s November 2024 presidential race.
It is not yet clear why the president decided not to run, after having insisted he would stay in the race.
“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 Sunday in a letter addressed to “My Fellow Americans.”
He added that he would speak to the nation later in the week in more detail about the decision.
“For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected,” he wrote. “I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
“I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing American can’t do — when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
Biden tested positive for COVID-19 last week, just a few minutes before he was scheduled to address a Latino group in Las Vegas.
The president immediately flew to his vacation home in Rehoboth, Delaware, where he is being treated with Paxlovid, an anti-viral used to fight COVID-19, by Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the White House presidential physician.
“President Biden completed his eighth dose of P AXLOVID this morning,” O’Connor wrote in his update on Sunday.
“His symptoms have improved significantly. His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain absolutely normal. His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear … The President continues to tolerate treatment without any difficulty and will continue PAXLOVID as planned. He continues to perform all of his presidential duties.”
Biden is scheduled to meet this Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ahead of the prime minister’s address to a joint session of Congress set for Wednesday (July 24) at 2 pm Eastern Time.
