--- title: Read Kamala Harris' Statement on Biden Dropping Out description: Vice President Kamala Harris declared her candidacy for President on Sunday, vowing to build on President Joe Biden’s legacy. canonical: https://time.com/7001071/kamala-harris-reacts-biden-dropping-out/ author: Nik Popli article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-21T20:37:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:27.809Z article:section: Politics og:title: Read Kamala Harris' Statement on Biden Dropping Out og:description: Vice President Kamala Harris declared her candidacy for President on Sunday, vowing to build on Biden’s legacy. og:url: https://time.com/7001071/kamala-harris-reacts-biden-dropping-out/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05bb8dc65f903719/698a58ffdb2987f0ea26be11/GettyImages-2161823256.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Vice President Harris Holds Campaign Event In Kalamazoo, Michigan og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read Kamala Harris' Statement on Biden Dropping Out twitter:description: Vice President Kamala Harris declared her candidacy for President on Sunday, vowing to build on Biden’s legacy. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05bb8dc65f903719/698a58ffdb2987f0ea26be11/GettyImages-2161823256.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Read Kamala Harris' Statement on Biden Dropping Out > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=c89128a8-5ebb-43b1-a57a-3ecf96b142e8&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 2020 Person of the Year: Kamala Harris on Leadership and Making History [Watch (HLS stream): 2020 Person of the Year: Kamala Harris on Leadership and Making History](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PsA1pomS.m3u8) (4:28)  _Published 2020-12-11. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are Time's 2020 Person of the year_  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Jul 21, 2024 8:37 PM UTC  U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is seen here at a public speaking engagement on July 17, 2024, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is seen here at a public speaking engagement on July 17, 2024, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Chris duMond—Getty Images  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Jul 21, 2024 8:37 PM UTC Vice President[ Kamala Harris](https://time.com/6994583/kamala-harris-doggett-poll/) declared her candidacy for President on Sunday, vowing to build on President Joe Biden’s legacy and secure the Democratic nomination after he [withdrew from the 2024 race](https://time.com/7001046/biden-drops-out-of-2024-presidential-election-what-happens-now/) amid mounting concerns about his age and ability to compete with former President Donald Trump. In a statement issued through the Biden-Harris campaign, Harris expressed gratitude for Biden’s endorsement, emphasizing her commitment to earning the nomination. "I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," she declared. "We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win." **_You can read Kamala Harris’ full statement further down._** Harris, 59, has been a historic figure in American politics, becoming the first woman, Black person, and person of South Asian descent to serve as Vice President. Her career path has been marked by groundbreaking achievements and challenges, including a brief and turbulent run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination before joining forces with Biden. **Read More**: [_Biden Drops Out of Presidential Race, Endorses Harris to Replace Him_](https://time.com/6997832/biden-drop-out-presidential-race/) Biden’s decision to back Harris, made public on social media, came after weeks of internal party debate over his re-election viability following a poorly received debate performance against Trump. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year," Biden wrote, urging Democrats to unite behind Harris to defeat Trump. The endorsement also signaled a shift in Democratic strategy, leaving the party to grapple with whether to [fully embrace Harris or explore alternative nominees](https://time.com/7001046/biden-drops-out-of-2024-presidential-election-what-happens-now/) in the coming weeks. “With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else,” Harris said in her statement. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.” Trump’s campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles swiftly criticized Harris, asserting she would be “even WORSE for the people of our Nation than Joe Biden.” In [a statement](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4784658-trump-campaign-attacks-harris/), they lambasted both Biden and Harris for what they termed as failed leadership and policy shortcomings, describing Harris as Biden’s “Enabler-in-Chief.” Despite the endorsement from Biden, Harris may face skepticism within her own party, with recent polling showing mixed opinions on her candidacy. According to a [Washington _Post_\-ABC News-Ipsos poll](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/11/poll-biden-drop-out-election/?itid=lk%5Finline%5Fmanual%5F24) conducted July 5-9, Harris polled about the same as Biden against Trump in head-to-head matchups, though a July 13-16 [Economist/YouGov poll](https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/econTabReport%5FsPu9WiO.pdf) found that Harris would perform slightly worse than Biden. **Read More**: [_Biden Has Dropped Out of the 2024 Presidential Election. Here’s What Happens Now_](https://time.com/7001046/biden-drops-out-of-2024-presidential-election-what-happens-now/) Harris, a former prosecutor and U.S. Senator from California, has navigated a varied political career, grappling with issues ranging from criminal justice reform to economic policy. As Vice President, she has mostly focused on efforts to stem illegal immigration and advocate for reproductive rights amid mounting challenges from conservative legal rulings. The Democratic National Convention in Chicago, scheduled to start on Aug. 19, is expected to serve as a crucial testing ground for Harris’ candidacy as she seeks to rally support and define her vision for the country’s future. ## **_Read Kamala Harris’ full statement here:_** “On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many Presidents who have served two terms in office. “It is a profound honor to serve as his Vice President, and I am deeply grateful to the President, Dr. Biden, and the entire Biden family. I first came to know President Biden through his son Beau. We were friends from our days working together as Attorneys General of our home states. As we worked together, Beau would tell me stories about his Dad. The kind of father—and the kind of man—he was. And the qualities Beau revered in his father are the same qualities, the same values, I have seen every single day in Joe’s leadership as President: His honesty and integrity. His big heart and commitment to his faith and his family. And his love of our country and the American people. “With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda. “We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.” ## Transcript Kind: captions Language: en-US Joe asked me to be his running mate to be his Vice President because he understands that we have different life experiences. And I think that's what makes ours a very full and very robust partnership. Can you tell me where you were when you got the call, that you would be his running mate, and you would be his pick to be his Vice President? I was in our apartment in Washington D.C. we got a call, my team got a call that the Vice President would like to speak to you he'd actually prefer to do it by Zoom and that wasn't actually one of my Zoom days so that required a whole preparation process to be Zoom ready he must have known that anxiety, that tension was high, what was this call going to be and instead of delaying it immediately he said, so you want to do this? It's what it is, he's a straight shooter, he gets to the point and that's where I was and that's how I learned that he wanted me to serve on the ticket with him. So as a former prosecutor, do you think some of the possible crimes committed by Trump and those around him need to be investigated or do you think the focus should be on the country moving forward? I would not dare tell the United States Department of Justice what they should do or what any prosecutor should do they will make their decisions based on the facts and the law and I think we should all respect that. You also ran for the nomination, obviously you were a presidential contender yourself do you think anybody but Joe Biden and you could have beaten Trump do you think that this was the only ticket that could have won? You're right I stood on that debate stage for almost a year figurative debate stage for almost a year with extremely talented people. I think that we have in many ways have had a recent demonstration of a vast variety of leaders in our country but this was a moment in time where the country wanted a leader who pledged their ability to heal and to build coalitions and to build a broad coalition and Joe and I were very proud of the fact that our campaign did that. People expected this to be a landslide, and it wasn't it's very clear that Trumpism is still very powerful in this country do you think that the Biden-Harris ticket was uniquely capable of winning against Trump this year? I believe the American people said, let's move forward let's understand that regardless of where you live you know, your race, your ethnicity, the language your grandmother speaks let's move forward knowing that the vast majority of us have more in common than what separates us that's what I believe is the tell of this election. This has been a really meaningful moment for little girls all over the country and I'm wondering what it means to you, to watch how much it means to them. You know my mother had many sayings, I say it all the time but one of them was she would say Kamala you might be the first to do many things make sure you're not the last and that's about legacy that's about creating a pathway, that's about leaving the door more open than it was when you walked in. So obviously this is an historic moment because your husband Doug will be the first ever Second Gentleman what do you think that means for little boys to see that? My husband being the first "Second Gentleman" is a model for boys and girls because yes, little boys will see, that among the models of men, are men who support their partner and do it with pride and do it with gusto and I think that's really important, that's very important and you know, sadly we're still making firsts I think Doug feels equally he won't be the last either. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7001071/kamala-harris-reacts-biden-dropping-out/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7001071/kamala-harris-reacts-biden-dropping-out/"},"headline":"Read Kamala Harris' Statement on Biden Dropping Out","datePublished":"2024-07-21T20:37:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:03:27.809Z","description":"Vice President Kamala Harris declared her candidacy for President on Sunday, vowing to build on President Joe Biden’s legacy.","url":"https://time.com/7001071/kamala-harris-reacts-biden-dropping-out/","keywords":["2024 Elections","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05bb8dc65f903719/698a58ffdb2987f0ea26be11/GettyImages-2161823256.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nik Popli","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/nik-popli/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05bb8dc65f903719/698a58ffdb2987f0ea26be11/GettyImages-2161823256.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Vice President Harris Holds Campaign Event In Kalamazoo, Michigan","caption":"Vice President Harris Holds Campaign Event In Kalamazoo, Michigan","creditText":"Chris duMond—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2024-election/","name":"2024 Elections"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7001071/kamala-harris-reacts-biden-dropping-out/","name":"Read Kamala Harris' Statement on Biden Dropping Out"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"2020 Person of the Year: Kamala Harris on Leadership and Making History","description":"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are Time's 2020 Person of the year","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PsA1pomS/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2020-12-11T03:51:01.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PsA1pomS.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/7001071/kamala-harris-reacts-biden-dropping-out/","duration":"PT4M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/7001071/kamala-harris-reacts-biden-dropping-out/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```