Kamala Harris calls Joe Biden’s exit from US presidential race ‘courageous’

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, 59, described Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 White House race as “one of the most courageous” moves any president could make. Biden exited the race on July 21 and immediately endorsed Harris for president.
“President Biden made a decision that I think history will show was probably one of the most courageous that a president could make, which is he decided to put country above his personal interests,” Harris said during an event in Las Vegas sponsored by Univision, a Spanish-language television network, according to news agency Reuters.
Her comments were translated into Spanish for the broadcast.
“I believe that the stakes right now are extraordinarily high, and some might say unprecedented,” she added.
Harris’s remarks came in response to a voter who expressed concern about Biden’s bowed down from the presidential race and asked why she became the Democratic nominee without going through a competitive primary process.
The voter was leaning toward Republican candidate Donald Trump, according to Reuters.
Biden’s withdrawal followed increasing pressure from party members and donors worried about his age and fitness for office, especially after a presidential debate on June 27 where he performed poorly.
Trump called Biden’s exit from the race as a “coup”.
After Biden’s exit, he endorsed Harris, who secured enough Democratic delegates to earn the party’s nomination.
She officially accepted the nomination at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) held from August 19 to August 22, where she also selected her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
In an interview on ABC’s “The View”, Harris stated that there is “not a thing” she would have done differently from Biden as president.
She emphasised that while Biden may not campaign for her frequently, he has been an important partner and supporter. She noted that his decision to leave the race starkly contrasts with Trump, who has never accepted his loss in the 2020 election.
“We are literally having a choice as the American people about choosing a path that is about the rule of law and democracy, or something that admires dictators,” she said, reported Reuters.
Trump recently lobbed personal insults at Harris — calling her “grossly incompetent” and “totally ill-equipped to do the job of being President of the United States” — and went after one of the hosts of ABC’s “The View,” which Harris appeared on Tuesday.