The 20 biggest reactions as Joe Biden quits 2024 US presidential race

Joe Biden has stepped aside from the 2024 US presidential race following weeks of pressure, saying it was in the "best interest of my party and my country" for him to quit.

The 81-year-old shared a letter to the American people saying that he intents to stand down and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

The president then endorsed Kamala Harris, who said in a statement that she plans to “earn and win” the Democratic nomination and vowed to do “everything in my power” to beat Donald Trump.

The news comes after 37 Democratic and Independent lawmakers publicly called for him to step down from the race.

According to liberal political action committee ActBlue, Democratic donors are returning after the announcement was made. ActBlue announced that as of 9pm ET, just over seven hours since Biden announced he was stepping aside, it had raised a staggering $46.7m

Biden was last seen in public four days ago, walking down the steps of Air Force One after testing positive for Covid-19.

The letter announcing the news was posted on Twitter/X on Sunday afternoon, and it sparked a big reaction on social media.

Many notable figures paid tribute to the job Biden has done as president, while others took an altogether more light-hearted approach.

First came the messages from major figures, commentators and celebrities:

Then came the jokes and memes...

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