US President Joe Biden said it was his “obligation to the country” to withdraw his candidacy from the presidential race, adding that it would be “a genuine danger to American security” if his Republican counterpart Donald Trump emerged victorious in the upcoming November elections. 

“Although I have the great honor to be president, I think I have an obligation to the country to do the most important thing you can do, and that is we must, we must, we must defeat Trump,” Biden said in an interview with CBS News on Sunday.

The US leader shared he did not take the decision lightly, and that it was composed of a series of circumstances that prevented him from seeking re-election, especially the lack of confidence from senior House and Senate Democrats who feared the president's unpopularity would hurt the party's potential victory in the November polls. 

Harris trumps fears of Democrat loss

“Mark my words, if he wins watch what happens," Biden said, expressing his fear of Trump's re-election into office in a pre-recorded interview with the news outlet last week, asserting that "He’s a genuine danger to American security” while highlighting his lack of confidence in a peaceful power transition if Trump lost.

“We are at an inflection point in world history. We really are. The decisions we make in the next three or four years are going to determine what the next six decades look like, and democracy is the key," he said.

With Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race and the endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic presidential candidate, polls revealed that the party's popularity and support have caught up or surpassed Trump in several states with Harris' appointment. 

“I did not think we were on a path to victory,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview on MSNCB's Inside with Jen Psaki, adding that she “wanted the decision to be a better campaign so that we could win”.

The senior Democrat praised Biden, describing him as a "pre-eminent" president, highlighting that “He’s right there among the top few, a very consequential president."

The point of no return

Before endorsing Vice President Harris as his potential successor, Biden expressed his belief that he could have re-assumed office in the upcoming elections. However, he changed his mind following weeks of pressure from his political party and a series of events that led him to hold consultations with his family in their Delaware home.

The turning point of Biden's campaign and the increasing pressure to withdraw his nomination from the presidential race was marked by his faltered performance at the first debate against Trump in June.

“I had a really bad day in that debate because I was sick. But I have no serious problem,”  Biden said, denying having any cognitive impairment or issues. 

“The polls we had showed that it was a neck and neck race, it would have been down to the wire," the president said, highlighting that "what happened was a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was gonna hurt them in the races and I was concerned if I stayed in the race that would be the topic."

Biden admin says Smotrich statement endangers captives

The Biden administration has made it clear that it will not allow "extremists," including Israelis, to derail ongoing Gaza ceasefire negotiations, White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby announced on Friday following "misinformation" by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Smotrich has recently claimed that a ceasefire deal would amount to a surrender to Hamas and argued against the exchange of prisoners. Kirby refuted these assertions, describing them as "dead wrong" and misleading to the Israeli public, as well as, accusing him of endangering the lives of Israeli captives.

"We've seen some statements from some quarters in Israel over recent days attacking the deal. I just want to underscore how long this is, not only in substance, but also jeopardizing the lives of the hostages, and running cattle to Israel's own national security interests," Kirby told reporters.

He claimed that the United States, along with its allies, has been working for months to broker the so-called "ceasefire-for-hostages" agreement, facing persistent challenges from both the Israeli occupation and Hamas.

According to US officials, the latest proposal represents the most promising opportunity to secure the release of women, sick, and elderly captives held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7. In return, the deal would require at least a six-week ceasefire.

"We want to get a deal. We believe that it's possible to do that... But it's going to require some leadership on all sides here and some compromises," Kirby told reporters, underlining the urgency of the situation.

Leaders from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar issued a joint statement on Thursday, calling on the Israeli occupation and Hamas to engage in negotiations set for August 15. The talks are expected to take place in either Doha or Cairo.