Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump told CNN on Sunday that he believes that defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 elections will be easier than defeating Democratic President Joe Biden, who announced his withdrawal from running for the presidency.
A reporter from the network said on the X platform that Trump made these statements to the television network shortly after Biden announced his decision.
Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race on Sunday, ending his re-election bid after a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.
The decision comes after mounting pressure from Biden's Democratic allies to step down following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president backtracked and often gave nonsensical answers.
Biden intends to complete the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon on January 20, 2025.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden wrote in a post on X. “Although I intend to run for re-election, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country for me to step down and focus solely on performing my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Nearly 30 minutes later, Biden threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the party's immediate favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago.
“Today I want to give my full support and endorsement to Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year,” he said in another post on X. “Democrats – it’s time to band together and defeat Trump.”
Biden's decision came while he was self-isolating at his Delaware Beach home after being diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, meeting with a shrinking circle of confidants and family members about his political future.
Biden said he will address the nation later this week to provide "details" about his decision.
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