Kamala Harris reacts to Biden endorsement

Vice President Kamala Harris vowed that she will "earn and win" her nomination by the Democratic Party after President Joe Biden announced his decision to step down from the race.

Hours after the president made the historic decision to withdraw from the election, Harris released her own statement to social media.

"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," she tweeted.

"I am honoured to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination."

In a follow-up post, Harris wrote that she "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."

Hours beforehand, Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed his current partner in office as the nominee for the Democractic party.

"My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President," he said. "And it's been the best decision l've made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats - it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this."

Despite the president's backing, it remains unclear if Harris will become the nominee, or what process the Democratic Party would take to select an alternative. It will now be up to the delegates to the party's national convention to choose their candidate.