FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris embraces President Joe Biden after a speech on healthcare in Raleigh, N.C., March. 26, 2024. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, July 21, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)

President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he is dropping his reelection bid against Donald Trump, in a social media post that sent political shockwaves around the country and threw an element of turmoil into the election just months before voters go to the polls.

Biden’s decision came on the heels of a poor debate performance that prompted many rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers to urge him to withdraw from the race. The president said he will address the nation later this week “in more detail about my decision.”

Biden threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democrats’ new candidate, and she vowed to “earn and win” the nomination.

Republican leaders attacked Harris and said she shares responsibility for the policies of the Biden administration.

Biden’s withdrawal came a day after Donald Trump held his first public campaign rally since he was injured in an assassination attempt, with an event in the battleground state of Michigan alongside his new running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

Trump says Biden was ‘not fit to run’

Former president Donald Trump posted on his social network Truth Social that “Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for president” and is not fit to serve.

“All those around him, including his Doctor and the Media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being President, and he wasn’t,” he said.

Trump and members of the RNC spent much of their week at the Republican National Convention calling for a ratcheting down of the political temperature and touting the importance of American unity in light of last week’s assassination attempt.

The former president is also calling for the second debate to be switched to the Fox News Channel, which is seen as friendlier to him, now that Biden has dropped out.

He said in a Truth Social post that whoever becomes the Democratic nominee should face him on that network “rather than the very biased ABC.” Trump and Biden had previously agreed to meet in a second debate Sept. 10 hosted by ABC.

Harris hits the phones

As Vice President Harris looks to lock up the nomination, she is hitting the phones and making her case to Democrats in Congress.

She spoke with Democratic lawmakers Sunday including Rep. Annie Kuster, who chairs a moderate group called the New Democrat Coalition and endorsed Harris in the afternoon.

Harris also quickly won endorsements from leadership in several influential caucuses.

While some Democrats remained silent on who they want for a nominee, many others said the party should immediately assemble behind Harris. They want to quickly move past the painful, public deliberations of the weeks since the July 27 debate.

Harris inherits Biden’s campaign infrastructure

President Biden’s campaign formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation — a sign of the prohibitive leg up she has for the Democratic nomination.

Democratic groups, including the Democratic National Committee, also filed paperwork changing the names of their joint fundraising committees to reflect Harris’ candidacy.

Meanwhile Biden urged his vast list of supporters to contribute to what is now the Harris campaign, saying in an email sent Sunday afternoon that picking her as his running mate is 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,” Biden wrote. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. And if you’re with us, donate to her campaign.”

White House expects no serious challenge to Harris; convention delegates show early signs of unity

Inside the White House, there’s low expectation that Harris will get a serious challenge following Biden’s endorsement, according to a person familiar with deliberations who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

Among potential top tier contenders, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has already said she won’t run, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he would back Harris if she became the nominee.

Other names that have been bandied about as viable contenders — including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper — would also seem unlikely to run in light of Biden’s endorsement for Harris and the expected fundraising advantage she would hold over anyone else.

Meanwhile delegates who are pledged to support Biden at the Democratic National Convention expressed admiration for the president and also showed early signs of uniting around Harris.

“I believe it’s her time and has earned the right to be our nominee,” said Paul Pezzella, a Massachusetts delegate who has been active in Democratic politics for decades. “I can’t think any American isn’t sad about Biden’s decision and that he has proven to be a patriot.”

Lee Cutler, political coordinator for the Northeast Area Labor Council affiliated with the Minnesota AFL-CIO, said he wishes Democrats had been able to start the process of replacing Biden earlier in the electoral cycle but he is also proud of the president.

“When we were voting for Biden, we were also voting for Kamala Harris,” Cutler said. “We were voting for an 82-year-old man.”

Upcoming Biden-Netanyahu meeting is still on

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House this week as planned, despite Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, a person familiar with Biden’s schedule said Sunday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the exact timing of the meeting has not been established because Biden is recovering from COVID-19.

Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver an address to Congress on Wednesday. He is also expected to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination.

An official in Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the Israeli leader was set to travel to Washington, as scheduled, on Monday. The official also spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement.

Some world reactions to Biden’s withdrawal

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov urged Russians to “pay attention” and “watch what will happen” in the U.S. election in November now that Biden has withdrawn his candidacy.

Peskov was quoted by Russian pro-Kremlin tabloid Life.ru as saying that “there are still four months until the elections. And this is a long period, during which a lot can change.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Biden a friend and said the president has achieved a lot for the U.S., Europe and the world. Scholz cited a strong NATO and close transatlantic cooperation as examples.

New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who met Biden for the first time this month, said he knows he reached his decision based on what he believes is in the “best interests of the American people.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked Biden and the first lady Jill Biden, saying on the social platform X; “He’s a great man, and everything he does is guided by his love for his country. As President, he is a partner to Canadians — and a true friend.”

And Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the U.S. president for his “leadership and ongoing service” and said the two countries’ alliance “has never been stronger with our shared commitment to democratic values, international security, economic prosperity and climate action for this and future generations.”

Clyburn, credited with helping Biden win the 2020 nomination, endorses Harris

South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, who is credited with helping President Joe Biden win the party’s nomination four years ago with his endorsement, has thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

Clyburn, a co-chair of Biden’s campaign, said the president showed good judgment in choosing a running mate who has the necessary “values and vision.” He said he is proud to follow Biden’s lead in supporting Harris.

Clyburn also heaped praise on Biden. He said the president “improved the lives of countless Americans through his selfless service” and thanked him for his strong leadership.”

Vance says Harris ‘owns’ Biden’s policies

Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, who was initially expected to face off against Kamala Harris in a debate, linked her Sunday to all of Biden’s policies.

Vance said Harris “co-signed” Biden’s border and climate policies and that those drove up prices for housing and groceries.

“She owns all of these failures,” Vance said on the social platform X.

“President Trump and I are ready to save America, whoever’s at the top of the Democrat ticket,” the Ohio senator said. “Bring it on.”

Kamala Harris says she’s honored to have Biden’s support

Vice President Kamala Harris says she is honored to have President Joe Biden’s support to replace him as the Democratic nominee heading into the November election.

Harris said she intends to “earn and win this nomination.”

She released a statement calling the 81-year-old Biden’s decision to end his reelection campaign a “selfless and patriotic act.”

She also thanked Biden for “extraordinary leadership” and argued that his legacy as a one-term president would surpass the records of many chief executives who served two terms in office.

Some Democratic governors praise Biden but don’t immediately endorse Harris as his successor

Govs. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Laura Healy of Kansas, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Tim Walz of Minnesota are among Democrats who are praising Biden’s record of public service. But they didn’t follow the president’s lead and endorse Harris as his successor.

Beshear said Biden will be remembered as a “consequential president” who, with Harris, led the country through the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Walz, who heads the Democratic Governors Association, said “history will look fondly on his legacy.”

Healy said few could have “risen to the challenge” like Biden. The Massachusetts governor had issued a statement several weeks ago urging Biden to think hard about his campaign.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also praised Biden’s public service Sunday, saying on social media platform X that Biden “knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump.”

“My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families’ costs, banning abortion nationwide, and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan,” she said.

Former President Barack Obama praises Biden, stops short of endorsing Harris

Former President Barack Obama has praised President Joe Biden’s decision to abandon his reelection quest. But Obama stopped short of endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee the 2024 presidential race.

Obama called Biden, his former vice president, “one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me.”

Obama said Sunday that when he picked Biden as his running mate in the 2008 campaign, “what I came to admire even more was his character — his deep empathy and hard-earned resilience; his fundamental decency and belief that everyone counts.”

Obama said Biden “has never backed down from a fight,” adding that “he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America.

Of what’s to come, Obama said he has “extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.” That nominee will face Republican and former President Donald Trump in November.

Former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a joint statement endorsing Kamala Harris, saying it’s time to “fight with everything we’ve got” to elect her.

The Clintons said Biden in his “extraordinary career” had “lifted America out of an unprecedented pandemic, created millions of new jobs, rebuilt a battered economy, strengthened our democracy, and restored our standing in the world.”

They added that Biden’s leadership had “advanced our founders’ charge to build a more perfect union and his own stated goal of restoring the soul of our nation.”

DNC says top priority is a candidate who can beat Trump

Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison says following President Joe Biden’s abandoning his reelection bid that “the work that we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear.”

“In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Harrison said in a statement, with “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

“This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the party,” Harrison added. “Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.”

His statement also noted: “In short order, the American people will hear from the Democratic Party on next steps and the path forward for the nomination process.”

Biden throws support behind Harris

President Joe Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump in November, and encouraged the Democratic Party to unite behind her.

In a stunning social media post Sunday, Biden announced he was pulling out of the race for a second term in the White House.

“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 in a letter posted to his X account.

Biden threw his support behind Harris.

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