President Joe Biden was under heavy pressure from fellow Democrats.
President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday came after heavy pressure from congressional Democrats, including Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and more than 30 House lawmakers.
Biden, 81, had resisted calls to step aside that grew almost daily following his poor performance in his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump and persistent questions about his age and mental fitness. His decision comes just a few months before the Nov. 5 election.
Biden backed his vice president, Kamala Harris for the top of the ticket -- triggering many others in the party to issue statements backing Harris.
Watch the ABC News special, "Biden Stands Down: The Race for the White House," tonight from 7-9 p.m. ET on ABC and ABC News Live.
Then-businessman Donald Trump donated $6,000 to Kamala Harris' 2014 California Attorney General reelection campaign, state campaign finance records show.
Trump initially donated $5,000 to Harris’s campaign in 2011, and donated another $1,000 to her campaign in 2013.
Ivanka Trump also donated $2,000 to Harris’s campaign in 2013.
-ABC News' Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh
The attack ad put out on Sunday by a pro-Donald Trump PAC attacking Vice President Kamala Harris was made "days" before President Joe Biden announced his decision to drop out of the race, two sources familiar told ABC News.
One source describing the move as "just in case," emphasizing how they had been preparing for this.
One source with the PAC told ABC News that they are viewing the switch from Biden to Harris as a "simple pivot" because Harris "owns all of Joe Biden's failures."
The plan is to frame Harris as a "co-conspirator" in Biden's agenda -- specifically on immigration, as the team has been reporting, the source said.
-ABC News' Olivia Rubin and John Santucci
Former President Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance reacted to President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the race, calling him "the worst president in my lifetime" and saying they are ready to take on Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way. Over the last four years she co-signed Biden's open border and green scam policies that drove up the cost of housing and groceries. She owns all of these failures, and she lied for nearly four years about Biden's mental capacity--saddling the nation with a president who can't do the job," Vance said in a statement on X.
"President Trump and I are ready to save America, whoever's at the top of the Democrat ticket. Bring it on," Vance said.
After announcing her 2024 presidential campaign, Kamala Harris has put out a public call for fundraising.
"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. If you’re with me, add a donation right now," Harris wrote on X Sunday.
The statement includes a photo with President Joe Biden, who endorsed Harris immediately following his exit from the race.
