US election main points
- Many Democrats quickly backed US vice-president Kamala Harris to run as the party’s presidential nominee against Donald Trump after president Joe Biden’s abrupt departure
- Mr Biden endorsed Ms Harris on Sunday, in a separate statement following his letter saying that he is stepping down.
- Harris praised Biden’s ‘unmatched’ legacy in a speech at the White House
- The chair of Pennsylvania’s state Democratic Party said he expects the state’s delegates to support Harris
- Nancy Pelosi endorsed Harris almost 24 hours after Biden’s announcement, saying she has “full confidence” Harris will lead the Democrats to victory.
Thanks for following the coverage, that’s it for this evening.
Pelosi endorses Harris
Former speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Kamala Harris.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Pelosi said she has “full confidence” that the vice-president will lead the party to victory.
Pelosi’s statement:
“America has been truly blessed by the wisdom and leadership of President Joe Biden. With love and gratitude, I salute President Biden for always believing in the possibilities of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfillment.
“As one of our country’s most consequential presidents, President Biden has been not only on the right side of history, but on the right side of the future.
“Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States. My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal and political.
“Officially, I have seen Kamala Harris’s strength and courage as a champion for working families, notably fighting for a woman’s right to choose. Personally, I have known Kamala Harris for decades as rooted in strong values, faith and a commitment to public service. Politically, make no mistake: Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.
“In the Democratic Party, our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power. Now, we must unify and charge forward to resoundingly defeat Donald Trump and enthusiastically elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States. Onward to victory!”
Meanwhile, former US Republican vice-president Mike Pence thanked Joe Biden “for putting the interests of our Nation ahead of his own”.
If you’re wondering where Kamala Harris stands on a number of key voting issues in the US, see here.
Kamala Harris’ brief speech may be over, but in that space of time, Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, has publicly endorsed the US vice-president, saying she is proud to serve as a co-chair of her campaign.
Harris said she first came to know the US president through his son, Beau.
“Back then, Beau would often tell me stories about his dad, he would talk to me about the kind of father and the kind of man that Joe Biden is.
“The qualities that Beau revered in his father are the same qualities that I have seen every day in our president - his honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his faith and his family, his big heart and his deep love of our country,” she said.
The US vice-president said she is “first-hand witness” that every day, Biden fights for the American people.
“We are deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation,” she said.
‘Unmatched in modern history’: Harris praises Biden in first speech
In her opening remarks, Harris said Joe Biden wanted to be at the event and looks forward to “getting back on the road” amid a Covid-19 diagnosis.
Harris praised the outgoing US president saying:
“Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the last three years is unmatched in modern history” she said to applause.
“In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office,” she added.
Still waiting on the US vice-president to speak at a White House event celebrating college athletes.
The event was scheduled prior to Biden’s announcement on Sunday but it will be her first public appearance since then.
Harris then intends to travel to Delaware later today to meet with campaign staff.
Jack White here taking over The Irish Times liveblog.
Kamala Harris is expected to address the media in about 15 minutes. It will be her first speech since Joe Biden announced he would not seek a second term in office.
In that space of time, Harris has received a significant backing from high-profile Democrats and celebrities, though heavy hitters Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have not yet publicly thrown their support behind her.
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted to Congress on Monday that she and her agency failed when a would-be assassin wounded Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a July 13th campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
“We failed. As the director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse,” Cheatle, who faces Republican calls for her removal, said in testimony before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee.
“The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13th is the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades,” Cheatle said.
In the face of Republican claims that the Secret Service denied resources to protect Trump, she said security for the former president had grown ahead of the shooting.
“The level of security provided for the former president increased well before the campaign and has been steadily increasing as threats evolve,” Cheatle said. “Our mission is not political. It is literally a matter of life and death.”
Monday’s hearing marked the first round of congressional oversight of the attempted assassination. - Reuters
Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Britain, has warned of the impact of the US election on Ukraine.
He told the Commons on Monday: “Coming on to the Nato summit, 70 years on from the foundation of Nato the alliance has never been more relevant and we support the Nato Summit pledge of long term security assistance for Ukraine, as well as increased support now to ensure she can resist Russia’s attacks and liberate her territory.
“I’m pleased that in this new parliament, this House will continue to stand united behind the brave Ukrainians opposing Russia’s illegal war, just as we’ve done together in recent years.
“But I hope that members of this House will not be complacent about the impact that the upcoming US elections could have on the security of not just the UK and our allies, but Ukraine too. We must hope the leadership of president Biden continues with his successor and I’d like to echo the prime minister’s tribute to president Biden.”
British prime minister Keir Starmer has paid tribute to Joe Biden’s record as he made a statement in the Commons.
Mr Starmer said the US President was “a man who, during five decades of service, never lost touch with the concerns of working people and always put his country first”.
He was “a true friend of the Labour movement” and “his presidency will leave a legacy that extends far beyond America to freedom and security on this continent”.
“Most of all, of course, in our steadfast resolve to stand by the people of Ukraine.
“He leaves the Nato alliance stronger than it’s been for decades.” - Press Association
Senator JD Vance of Ohio will campaign solo as the Republican vice-presidential nominee for the first time on Monday, with two events that also signal the start of a freshly upended race for the White House.
Less than 24 hours after president Joe Biden announced that he would not seek a second term, Vance will speak in southwest Ohio at Middletown High School, where he graduated in 2003. Later in the day, he is scheduled to address supporters at Radford University, a public college in southwest Virginia.
Vance, who will turn 40 next week, is among the youngest Americans ever nominated to a presidential ticket.
Donald Trump has been posting on the Truth Social platform over the last few hours...
Kamala Harris is expected to make her first public appearance on Monday since Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election campaign.
With Biden still absent in Delaware and recovering from Covid, the vice-president will greet the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) championship teams from the 2023-24 season at the White House.
That is due to take place at 11.30am eastern time (4.30pm Irish time) on the South Lawn, and Harris is expected to address the media.
Fintan O’Toole writes: Whatever his cognitive condition, Biden eventually had enough of his wits about him to realise that there is nothing heroic in failure on this historic scale.
In the dreadful TV interview with George Stephanopoulos after his disastrous debate with Trump, Biden had said that even if he lost in November “I’ll feel as long as I gave it my all and I did the good as job (sic) as I know I can do, that’s what this is about”. This was the ultimate expression of moral egotism – it’s worth letting Trump back into power so long as I feel that I’ve done my best.
But Biden really has now done his best. After half a century of public service, he has performed the last great service of bowing to the inevitable and giving the Democrats a fighting chance to save the American republic.
The full piece can be read here.
US senator Joe Manchin on Monday ruled out running for president against potential Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, who was endorsed by president Joe Biden when he left the race.
“Let me make it very clear to you...I am not going to be a candidate for president. I am a candidate for basically speaking for the middle of this country,” Manchin told CBS television shortly after refusing to rule out a run in another interview.
Manchin said he favored the idea of a “mini-primary” process before a candidate to replace Biden was chosen. Asked if he thought Harris was too liberal, Manchin said, “Absolutely.”
Moments earlier, Manchin was asked on CNN if he would run against Harris. “I don’t know,” he said.
But he told CNN he would not be interested in running as Harris’ vice president.
The Kremlin on Monday was cautious about the possibility of Kamala Harris’s US presidential candidacy, saying that the vice-president had made no discernible contribution to relations with Moscow beyond some unfriendly rhetoric.
Asked if Russia was surprised by Biden’s move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that events in the United States over recent years had taught Moscow not to be surprised by anything and that in any case Russia had different priorities.
“In recent years, what has been happening in the United States has taught us not to be surprised by anything,” Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
“We were not very surprised.”
When the Democratic National Convention meets in Chicago on August 17th, any nominee for president needs to secure the votes of 1,986 delegates.
Joe Biden had more than 3,800 delegate pledged to vote for him after the primary season, but those people are now released from that obligation. Kamala Harris has, according to the latest count by website The Hill, already secured votes from 531 delegates, with the states of Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Florida and Louisiana all offering support. – The Guardian
The chair of Pennsylvania’s state Democratic Party, state senator Sharif Street, has said he expects the states delegates to support Kamala Harris in her bid to replace president Joe Biden at the top of the ticket in November.
The Philadelphia Inquirer quotes him saying “I have not heard from one delegate who said that he or she would not be supporting vice-president Harris.” He suggested that the nomination of Harris could energise the campaign, saying “[Biden’s] age shouldn’t have been a focus but now when you look at the record, the record is incredibly strong. Look, young people were reluctant to vote for someone who was the age of their grandparent, and now they don’t have to do that.” – The Guardian
US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will undergo a grilling on Monday at a congressional hearing into her agency’s failure to prevent a would-be assassin from wounding Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump earlier this month.
Cheatle is due to appear before the House of Representatives Oversight and Accountability Committee to be questioned by lawmakers.
The Secret Service chief faces calls for her resignation from top Republicans including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. – Reuters
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also declined to comment on his relationship with US vice-president Kamala Harris, vowing to work with whoever wins the US election in November.
Answering media questions after a speech at the Farnborough International Airshow, he said: “Obviously in the first instance, it’s for the Democratic Party to decide who they want to put forward. It is then for the American people to decide who they want as their president.
“My approach will be to respect that decision-making and to be clear that we will work with whoever the American people elect into office, as you would expect, particularly given the nature of the special relationship between our two countries, forged in difficult circumstances, endured for years, and very important to me and very important to all American presidents.” – Press Association
British Keir Starmer said Joe Biden’s decision not to seek re-election would not have been an easy one for the US President.
Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow, Mr Starmer said: “I respect that decision that he has now made.
“Not an easy decision, but a decision that I know that he will have arrived at taking into account the best interests of the American people, and I look forward to working with him for the remainder of his presidency.” – Press Association
Reuters is reporting that US stock index futures climbed on Monday on the news that president Joe Biden was withdrawing from the election.
The news agency quotes Paul Ashworth, chief North America economist at Capital Economics saying: “Donald Trump is still the solid favorite to win the presidential election, but betting markets suggest he has a slightly lower probability of beating Harris rather than Biden.”
Here’s a look back at the tragedy and resilience that marked Joe Biden’s decades-long career in politics.
Our Washington Correspondent Keith Duggan has been covering every step of this tumultuous presidential race, from fluffed debate answers to assassination attempts.
“In the five decades of official letters that Joe Biden has closed with that slanting, distinctive signature of his, Sunday’s missive confirming his intention to withdraw from the extraordinary, white-knuckle 2024 US presidential election campaign must have been the most difficult to sign,” he writes.
“It may also go down as one of his most courageous and consequential political decisions.”
Read Keith’s full dispatch following Biden’s shock dropout here.
The Trump campaign has gone on the offensive – this advert was published yesterday attacking Harris.
Since Harris entered the frame as Donald Trump’s most likely opponent come November’s vote, adverts from previous campaigns have seen renewed interest on social media.
Some big name Democrats have been quick out of the traps to throw their weight behind Harris, including New York City congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
After Mr Biden’s announcement, made on X by means of a statement, Kamala Harris thanked him for “his extraordinary leadership”.
Good morning. President Joe Biden said on Sunday he would not seek reelection to the White House after weeks of pressure to step aside, following a disastrous debate performance against republican nominee and former president Donald Trump. Mr Biden’s decision has significantly shaken up the race.
Vice-president Kamala Harris is now likely to be the Democratic nominee for president.
I’m Fiachra Gallagher, and I’m running The Irish Times liveblog this morning, bringing you updates on the state of play across the pond. Stay tuned.
