This post was updated July 23 at 9:00 a.m.

President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he would not pursue a reelection bid, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination. 

The choice to remove himself from the ballot comes after more than 30 Democratic lawmakers publicly called upon Biden to drop out of the race. According to CNN, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama also privately expressed concerns to Biden regarding his inability to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

Biden received increased scrutiny after his performance in the June 27 presidential debate, with critics also expressing concern about the president’s age.

“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,” Biden said in posts on his Instagram and X accounts.

It is the first time since 1968 that a sitting president has halted their campaign for reelection. 

Biden said in his social media post that he would address the country later in the week to speak in greater depth about his decision and thanked Harris for her partnership. Around 30 minutes after announcing his departure from the race, he endorsed her candidacy in another post to his social media accounts, stating that picking her to be his vice president was “the best decision I’ve made.”

“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” Biden said in posts on his Instagram and X accounts. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”

In a press release emailed to the Daily Bruin, Harris said she was grateful for Biden’s commitment to the country and for his support and confirmed that she would run for president.

“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she said. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party – and unite our nation – to defeat Donald Trump.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom praised Biden’s legacy in a statement posted on X following the announcement.

“President Biden has been an extraordinary, history-making president,” he said in the statement. “He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.”

In a phone interview with CNN after Biden announced his decision to drop out of the race, Trump said Biden would go down as the “single worst president in the history of our country.” He added in the phone call that he believed Harris would be an easier candidate to defeat than Biden.

Leading Republicans, including Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, also called on Biden to step down from the presidency immediately, though Biden’s message stated he plans to finish his term.

Biden had previously denied that he was considering dropping out of the race, with his campaign sending a press release to the Daily Bruin at 8:17 a.m. Sunday stating that he still had support from campaign chairs in key battleground states.

Democrats said they would hold a virtual roll call to select their nominee for president between Aug. 1 and Aug. 7 before the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19.

The Associated Press reported Monday evening that Harris had garnered the support of over 1,976 Democratic delegates – the amount needed to earn the party’s nomination. However, the nomination will not become official until after delegates cast their votes during the virtual roll call.