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President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, 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.

The decision comes after escalating pressure from Biden's Democratic allies to step aside following the June 27 debate, in which the 81-year-old president trailed off, often gave nonsensical answers and failed to call out the former president's many falsehoods. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take on Trump, and encouraged his party to united behind her.

Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term in office, which ends at noon ET on Jan. 20, 2025.

"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.

Nearly 30 minutes later, Biden threw his support behind Harris, the party's instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago.

"Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year," he said in another post on X. "Democrats 鈥� it's time to come together and beat Trump.鈥�

Harris praised Biden's 鈥渟elfless and patriotic act鈥� in a statement, and said she intends to 鈥渆arn and win" her party's nomination. 鈥淚 will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party 鈥� and unite our nation 鈥� to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,鈥� she said.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis shared his thoughts in a statement released on X Sunday afternoon, praising Biden for his contributions to the state鈥檚 protection of public lands and climate change solutions.

鈥淭his could not have been an easy decision but it is the right one, and Joe Biden promised Americans he would always do what鈥檚 right for our country and once again he has delivered,鈥� Polis stated on X. 鈥淚 know President Biden and Jill are making this choice with the future of Americans in their hearts.鈥�

Polis added that the U.S. 鈥渃annot afford another potential four years of a disastrous Trump presidency鈥� and take away basic liberties.

U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, a Democrat from Colorado, also released a statement thanking Biden and comparing his work to that of former president Theodore Roosevelt.

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet also spent time thanking Biden on his leadership, but did not comment extensively on what this means for the Democratic Party.

"Today, we owe President Biden a debt of gratitude that we may never be able to repay,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e may not know what comes next, but by passing the torch to a new standard bearer, President Biden has again given us the chance to beat Donald Trump and give our children the future they deserve.鈥�

Chairman Manuel Heart of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe praised Biden for his administration's work supporting Indigenous communities.

"He really helped a lot of Tribal Nations across the country," Heart said in a statement. "He was dedicated to make our country and other countries around the world a better place. We have him to thank during the pandemic in saving many lives in our country."

Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib lauded Biden's work in Colorado, including designating Camp Hale as a national monument, keeping Space Command in Colorado Springs, and investing billions in renewable energy and infrastructure projects. He also expressed confidence that Vice President Harris will be able to defeat Donald Trump in November.

"We beat Donald Trump once. We were going to beat him again with Joe Biden. We're going to be able to beat him again with a great candidate this fall," Murib told KUNC. "Kamala Harris was chosen as vice president exactly for this type of scenario鈥攖o step in for Joe Biden. She's proven time and time again throughout her career that she is ready for this type of responsibility, and I have no doubt that Colorado will thrive in the next Democratic administration, especially if that's Kamala Harris."

Larimer County Democratic Party head Tim Kubik agreed with Murib. He also echoed sentiments that Harris as the nominee brings to the forefront the next generation of leaders, which he speculated could help her chances against Trump.

"This makes this election a generational question as well as a policy question," Kubik said. "Are we going to look to the oldest members of our society to continue to lead us with the Trump ticket, or are we going to look to a younger generation to lead us into a full realization of the 21st century."

Biden's decision came as he has been isolating at his Delaware beach house after being diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, huddling with a shrinking circle of close confidants and family members about his political future. Biden said he would address the nation later this week to provide "detail" about his decision.

In addition to his planned address to the country, Biden still intends to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House this week, according to a person familiar with the president鈥檚 schedule who was not authorized to comment publicly.

The exact timing of the meeting is still not set in stone as Biden continues to recover from COVID. Netanyahu is scheduled Wednesday to deliver an address to Congress and he is also expected to meet with Vice President Harris while in Washington.

Senior campaign and White House staff were notified just minutes before his letter went out, according to people familiar with the matter. Biden had been reflecting on his future for the past couple days and the decision was closely held.

The White House confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

The announcement is the latest jolt to a campaign for the White House that both political parties see as the most consequential election in generations, coming just days after of Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.

Colorado Speaker Julie McCluskie (D) said in a statement that this decision is the best for the country.

鈥淐olorado House Democrats are focused on our vision for Colorado and will continue delivering results that build a more affordable state where everyone can thrive,鈥� she said.

House Majority Leader Monica Duran (D) stated this change of nominee is a good direction, especially for marginalized communities.

鈥淔or Latinos and people of color, this administration has continually tackled the critical issues facing our communities,鈥� she said. 鈥淗owever, it is time to focus on our future and what鈥檚 at stake.鈥�

A party's presumptive presidential nominee has never stepped out of the race so close to the election. The closest parallel would be President Lyndon Johnson who, besieged by the Vietnam War, announced in March 1968 that he would not seek another term.

Now, Democrats have to urgently try to bring coherence to the nominating process in a matter of weeks and persuade voters in a stunningly short amount of time that their nominee can handle the job and beat Trump. And for his part, Trump must shift his focus to a new opponent after years of training his attention on Biden.

The decision marks a swift and stunning end to Biden's 52 years in electoral politics, as donors, lawmakers and even aides expressed to him their doubts that he could convince voters that he could plausibly handle the job for another four years.

Representative Lauren Boebert released several statements on X, including a remark on how Biden announced his departure on the same platform. She also critiqued Biden鈥檚 current ability to lead the country.

鈥淚f Biden can鈥檛 run for office, he should resign. Immediately,鈥� she said.

Biden won the vast majority of delegates and every nominating contest but one, which would have made his nomination a formality. Now that he has dropped out, those delegates will be free to support another candidate.

Harris, 59, appeared to be the natural successor, in large part because she is the only candidate who can directly tap into the Biden campaign's war chest, according to federal campaign finance rules.

The Center for American Women and Politics released a statement in support of Harris.

鈥淪hould she win the nomination, the nation will watch a multiracial woman compete in a presidential general election for the first time in history,鈥� said CAWP Director Debbie Walsh. 鈥淥ur research and programming have long been oriented towards changing the perception of power. This transformative moment will forever alter how Americans view leadership in politics.鈥�

Biden's backing helps clear the way for Harris, but a smooth transition is by no means assured.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, but the party had announced that it would hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate Biden before in-person proceedings begin.

It remained to be seen whether other candidates would challenge Harris for the nomination. The Democratic National Committee's chair, Jaime Harrison, said in a statement that the party would 鈥渦ndertake a transparent and orderly process" to select "a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.鈥�

Trump reacted to the news in a post on his Truth Social site, in which he said Biden 鈥渨as not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve.鈥�

鈥淲e will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly,鈥� he added. 鈥淢AKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!鈥�

While Trump and his team had made their preference for facing Biden clear, his campaign had nonetheless ramped up its attacks on Harris as pressure on Biden to step down intensified.

Democratic officials, including many who were behind the effort to push Biden from the race, quickly released statements praising Biden's decision.

鈥淗is decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first,鈥� said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. 鈥淛oe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American.鈥�

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York praised Biden as 鈥渙ne of the most accomplished and consequential leaders in American history.鈥�

Some prominent Democrats moved to endorse Harris, who hadn't yet commented publicly on Biden's decision to step aside or formally stated she is running to succeed him.

鈥淲e are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,鈥� former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement.

But former President Barack Obama, who had privately shared doubts about Biden's reelection chances, stopped short of endorsing Harris even as he praised Biden for his decision to leave the race.

鈥淚 have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,鈥� he said in a statement.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Biden should immediately resign if he is not fit enough to run for office. In a statement, Johnson said 鈥淣ovember 5 cannot arrive soon enough.鈥�

Congressman Greg Lopez, Colorado's newest member of Congress, also called on Biden to reassure the American people he is up for the next six months as President. Lopez currently represents Colorado's Fourth District after winning a special election to take over former Congressman Ken Buck's seat.

"He claims that he wants to stay on for the next six months," Lopez told KUNC. "I would like him to do a cognitive test and see if he's even competent enough to be the president for the next six months."

In 2020, Biden pitched himself as a transitional figure who wanted to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders. But once he secured the job he spent decades struggling to attain, he was reluctant to part with it.

Biden was once asked whether any other Democrats could beat Trump.

"Probably 50 of them," Biden replied. "No, I'm not the only one who can defeat him, but I will defeat him."

Biden is already the country's oldest president and had insisted repeatedly that he was up for the challenge of another campaign and another term, telling voters all they had to was "watch me."

And watch him they did. His poor debate performance prompted a cascade of anxiety from Democrats and donors who said publicly what some had said privately for months, that they did not think he was up to the job for four more years.

Concerns over Biden's age have dogged him since he announced he was running for reelection, though Trump is just three years younger at 78. Most Americans view the president as too old for a second term, according to an August 2023 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A majority also doubt his mental capability to be president, though that is also a weakness for Trump.

Biden often remarked that he was not as young as he used to be, doesn't walk as easily or speak as smoothly, but that he had wisdom and decades of experience, which were worth a whole lot.

"I give you my word as a Biden. I would not be running again if I didn't believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job," he told supporters at a rally in North Carolina a day after the debate. "Because, quite frankly, the stakes are too high."

But voters had other problems with him, too 鈥� he has been deeply unpopular as a leader even as his administration steered the nation through recovery from a global pandemic, presided over a booming economy and passed major pieces of bipartisan legislation that will impact the nation for years to come. A majority of Americans disapprove of the way he's handling his job, and he's faced persistently low approval ratings on key issues including the economy and immigration.

Biden's age surfaced as a major factor during an investigation of his handling of classified documents. Special counsel Robert Hur said in February that the president came across in interviews with investigators as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."

The president's allies seized on the statement as gratuitous and criticized Hur for including it in his report, and Biden himself angrily pushed back on descriptions of how he spoke about his late son.

Biden's motivation for running was deeply intertwined with Trump. He had retired from public service following eight years serving as vice president under Barack Obama and the death of his son Beau but decided to run after Trump's comments following a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, when white supremacists descended on the city to protest the removal of its Confederate memorials.

Trump said: "You had some very bad people in the group, but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. On both sides."

That a sitting president didn't unequivocally condemn racism and white supremacy deeply offended Biden. Then, Biden won the 2020 election and Trump refused to concede and stood by for hours while his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, beating and bloodying law enforcement in a failed attempt to overturn the certification of Biden's win.

"If Trump wasn't running, I'm not sure I'd be running," Biden once said during at a campaign event.

Biden's wife, first lady Jill Biden, responded to the president's announcement by reposting Biden's letter announcing his decision and adding red heart emojis.

Granddaughter Naomi Biden Neal said on social media that 鈥淚鈥檓 nothing but proud of my Pop.鈥� She said he has served the country 鈥渨ith every bit of his soul and with unmatched distinction鈥� and that 鈥渙ur world is better today in so many ways thanks to him.鈥�