Former US president Barack Obama Monday issues a statement on President Joe Biden’s exit from the White House race, conveying his love and gratitude to Biden for leading the country “courageously during perilous times”.

Obama also addressed the uncertainty in the days to come and expressed confidence that “an outstanding nominee” will emerge in the days ahead.

Late on Sunday night India time, Biden announced he was pulling out of the presidential race amid calls from within his party to do so. He went on to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the job, and while this means Harris is the top contender to get a ticket, she is not the democratic presidential nominee yet.

In a post on Medium, Obama wrote: “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.” Obama did not endorse Harris in his statement.

The former president praised Biden’s decision, saying it was “surely one of the toughest decisions of his life”.

“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight. For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life. But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America. It’s a testament to Joe Biden’s love of country,” he wrote.

Looking back at Biden’s political trajectory, Obama added: “President Biden pointed us away from the four years of chaos, falsehood, and division that had characterized Donald Trump’s administration. Through his policies and his example, Joe has reminded us of who we are at our best — a country committed to old-fashioned values like trust and honesty… a country that believes in democracy, rule of law, and accountability…”

He wrote, “Joe understands better than anyone the stakes in this election — how everything he has fought for throughout his life, and everything that the Democratic Party stands for, will be at risk if we allow Donald Trump back in the White House and give Republicans control of Congress.”

After Biden’s departure from the race, the Democratic Party’s nomination process is set to decide whether Harris will be the next Presidential candidate, or will she still be a Vice Presidential nomination.