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.
President Joe Biden had conversations with the two top congressional Democrats Sunday as he ended his 2024 presidential campaign, sources told ABC News.
Biden spoke with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, sources said.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas weighed in on Biden's decision to end his bid for reelection Sunday.
"Today and everyday, it is an honor to serve under POTUS Biden’s leadership," Mayorkas said in a statement on X.
Mayorkas said he's "extraordinarily proud" of the work the Department of Homeland Security has done to "secure our shores, skies, borders, and cyberspace; safeguard the American people from threats old and new; and advance our vital homeland security mission under the President’s leadership."
Looking to the future of Biden's tenure as president, Mayorkas said, "We will continue to use every minute of this administration to deliver for the American people."
After Harris announced her intention to join the 2024 race for president, anti-abortion rights groups released a statement criticizing Harris' support of abortion rights. National Right to Life, a major anti-abortion group, released a statement criticizing Harris, calling her "radically pro-abortion" after Harris announced she will be running for president.
"Kamala Harris is radically pro-abortion and sees the lives of precious unborn babies as expendable ... She has toured the country pushing unlimited abortion and criticizing protective state laws that support women and their preborn children," National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said in a statement.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which opposes access to abortion care, also accused her of refusing to support limits on access to abortion care.
"While Joe Biden has trouble saying the word abortion, Kamala Harris shouts it. In contrast, President Trump, JD Vance, and the GOP reject the Democrat attempt to impose abortion on-demand across all 50 states and support the right of states to place limits on abortion," Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser wrote in a statement.
In a statement Sunday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore praised Biden and thanked him for his decades of service.
"President Biden has dedicated his life and career to serving the American people," Moore wrote. "His legacy of hard work, dedication, optimism, and strength have shaped the trajectory of our nation -- and made us better as a people and as a country."
"This is a man deeply in love with his family, his country, and the promise of America," he wrote. "As a governor, I look to him as an exemplar of true leadership. As an American, I look to him as an embodiment of our shared values of freedom, decency, and patriotism."
