President Biden announces end to reelection campaign, endorses VP Harris as new nominee

SAN ANTONIO – Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, has ended his 2024 reelection bid for the White House.

Biden announced the news on his Twitter account Sunday afternoon.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden’s statement read, in part. “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 focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

In a second Sunday afternoon tweet, Biden announced his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

“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,” Biden’s second tweet read, in part. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”

Two hours after Biden made his endorsement of Harris official, just after 3 p.m. central time, Harris accepted Biden’s endorsement in a statement.

“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris’ statement said, in part. “Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”

Former President and current Republican nominee Donald Trump reacted to Biden’s end of his reelection bid just before 1:30 p.m. central time on Truth Social, his social media platform.

“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly,” Trump’s post read, in part.

After Biden made his endorsement of Harris official, Governor Greg Abbott said he would consider tripling “the border wall, razor wire barriers and National Guard on the border” in a tweet.

San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg described Biden as a “true friend to the working families of San Antonio” in a tweet.

“He took the slings and arrows that come from stepping into the arena, and throughout it all reminded us that strength of character matters. I’ll be forever proud to call him a partner and a friend,” Nirenberg’s tweet concluded.

Nirenberg also threw his support behind Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee just after 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

“All in for our next President, Kamala Harris,” Nirenberg tweeted.

In a statement, Bexar County Democratic Party chairwoman Monica Ramirez Alcátara said the organization was “eternally grateful” for Biden choosing “country over politics.”

“As a party, we are excited about the future and call for unity as we forge a path forward to elect Democrats from the eventual presidential ticket down to our local races,” Alcátara’s statement said, in part.

Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn questioned Biden’s endorsement of Harris on social media, describing her as “more radical” and “less competent” than Biden.

“And if Pres. Biden is not competent to run for reelection, he should step down from the presidency,” Cornyn’s tweet concluded.

In a tweet, Democratic U.S. congressman Joaquin Castro — who represents San Antonio’s South Side, Northwest Side and municipalities such as Balcones Heights and Leon Valley — said he looked “forward to working to elect Kamala Harris as our next president.”

Castro also discussed Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race, which can be viewed in the above video player.

Democratic U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar’s office released a statement on Sunday. Cuellar represents Texas’ 28th congressional district, which includes southern and eastern portions of Bexar County as well as Laredo.

“His presidency has seen the passage of key legislation that has boosted our economy, modernized our infrastructure, and offered much-needed support to our veterans,” Rep. Cuellar’s statement said, in part. “I look forward supporting (sic) the next Democratic nominee for President.”

Democratic congressman Greg Casar — whose 35th congressional district includes downtown San Antonio, San Marcos and parts of Austin — viewed Biden as a uniting force within his party.

“He united Democrats to save our democracy from Trump and our economy from COVID,” Casar’s statement said, in part. “He stood up to corporations and protected workers like no other president in my lifetime.”

Former San Antonio mayor Julián Castro, Joaquin’s brother, quote-tweeted Biden’s first announcement. In it, Castro called Biden an “excellent president” and a “true statesman.”

“President Biden deserves enormous credit for bringing the nation back from COVID, reinvigorating our economy, moving us forward to address climate change, among many other accomplishments,” Castro said in the tweet.

Check back for more updates as this story develops.