President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference July 11, 2024, in Washington. Biden is removing his name as the Democratic candidate in the November election following weeks of mounting pressure over the 81-year-old president’s mental acuity and ability to win the November election.

Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Jacquelyn Martin

WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Joe Biden has been a partner to Canadians after the U.S. President bowed to weeks of mounting pressure on Sunday by withdrawing as the Democratic candidate in the country's looming presidential election.

Biden's decision to step aside, announced in a letter posted to social media, came after Democrats spoke out in increasing numbers to voice concerns over the 81-year-old’s mental acuity and ability to win the faceoff with Republican rival Donald Trump.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden wrote in the letter posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.

"And 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 to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

Trudeau said he's known Biden for years and called the president a "true friend."

"He’s a great man, and everything he does is guided by his love for his country," the prime minister posted on social media Sunday.

The Democrats' calls for Biden to drop out of the race began after a disastrous debate performance against Trump and were heightened following multiple missteps on the world stage during the recent NATO leaders’ summit in Washington.

Trudeau, during NATO, said the world stage is lucky to have Biden leading in "extraordinarily consequential times."

"His depth of experience, his thoughtfulness, his steadfastness on the greatest issues and challenges of our time, is a credit to the work that we are all doing together," Trudeau said during the defence alliance summit earlier this month.

"It has been, as always, a privilege and a pleasure to work alongside him on big issues and I look forward to continuing to."

Concern mounted as the president made more questionable public appearances but it remained unclear whether Biden would continue. The president told supporters Friday he was ready to get back on the road this week after recovering from COVID-19, which he contracted during a critical time for his campaign.

But he changed direction on Sunday afternoon, first sharing his announcement online then throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris about 30 minutes later.

"My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made," Biden posted on social media.

Trump, for his part, responded to word of Biden's exit with a social media post of his own. He said Biden was "not fit to run for President," said he "annihilated" the sitting president during the debate, and accused Democrats of throwing Biden overboard.

Matthew Lebo, a specialist in U.S. politics at Western University in London, Ont., said he previously thought Biden was still best positioned to beat Trump in November. In recent days, he wasn't so sure.

Trump and his newly announced running mate JD Vance have put forward policies that are “enormous softballs" that most Americans are against, Lebo said.

“Biden is unable to hit them, let’s them go by,” Lebo said.

Lebo said the clock was ticking and the election was looming. The Democrats and Biden had to make a decision. It’s also been reported that Democrats were having a harder time raising money just four months from election day.

“A different ticket could revitalize this and it’s getting to the point they might as well try,” Lebo said.

Other leaders reached out to thank Biden for his years in politics. Former president Barack Obama said "Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me."

"Today, we’ve also been reminded — again — that he’s a patriot of the highest order," Obama said in a statement about his former vice president on social media Sunday.

It remains to be seen whether other candidates challenge Harris for the nomination.

The Democratic National Committee’s chair, Jaime Harrison, said in a statement that the party would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to select “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.” The Democratic National Convention scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.

Harris – especially with a running mate like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro – could give some strength back to the party in important blue-wall states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Lebo said.

The heir apparent also has connections to Canada. Harris moved to Montreal as a teen so her mother Shyamala Gopalan, a breast-cancer researcher, could work at McGill University. She attended Westmount High School from 1978 to 1981.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton posted a joint statement of support for the vice president on social media Sunday, but not all have followed their lead.

Bruce Heyman, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada under former president Barack Obama, said he will support the nominee selected in Chicago next month.

"But I believe it’s in the best interest of our party and our country to have an open process that allows delegates to select the nominee at the convention," Heyman posted on social media.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024