Bill, Hillary Clinton endorse Kamala Harris as Biden drops out

President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race on Sunday afternoon. In response, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promptly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate to replace him.

“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” the Clintons said in a statement posted on X. “Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her.”

More:Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race and endorses Kamala Harris: Live updates

As the first woman to secure a major party’s nomination in 2016, the former U.S. Senator from New York now aims to help Harris become the first woman president in U.S. history.

The Clintons praised Biden’s presidency in their statement. “President Biden has lifted America out of an unprecedented pandemic, created millions of new jobs, rebuilt a battered economy, strengthened our democracy, and restored our standing in the world,” they said.

“We join millions of Americans in thanking President Biden for all he has accomplished,” the statement continued. “We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her.”

The joint statement also expressed concern over Donald Trump’s potential return. “We’ve lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term,” they said. Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her.”

Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama also released an official statement praising Biden’s legacy but has yet to endorse Harris.

Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow