Biden digs in as Democrats consider removing him from presidential race

Biden’s faltering performance in his June 27 debate with Trump raised serious concerns among some Democrats about his mental acuity and stamina at age 81.

A movement is underway within the party to persuade him to step down, with critics warning he faces near-certain defeat and could drag other Democrats down with him. House Democrats and a group of senators are expected to meet on the issue when they return to Washington next week.

Some opinion polls have shown Trump widening his lead since the debate, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll found that one in three Democrats want Biden to drop out of the race.

Biden rejected the move on Friday.

“We had a little debate last week. I can’t say it was my best performance. But since then, there’s been a lot of speculation. What’s Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out?” Biden said. “Well, here’s my answer: I’m running and I’m going to win again.”

Biden used a 22-minute interview on ABC News to reiterate that he simply had a bad night at the debate, but that he was otherwise fine.

Under pressure from ABC interviewer George Stephanopoulos, Biden dismissed polls that showed him trailing Trump and said other polls put him in a better position.

Asked whether he had undergone a specific cognitive test for a neurological exam, Biden said he had not and that “no one told me he had to undergo one.” The White House’s rigors are sufficient, he said.

At his last medical examination on February 28, he was found fit for service.

Biden added that he was the best candidate to take on Trump and that only “the Lord Almighty” could oust him from the race.

Biden’s latest efforts to convince Democrats to stick with him have been dismissed by some, though he appeared determined to keep up the fight.

“He doesn’t seem to be able to understand the fact that people are asking these questions about him,” Democratic strategist David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, told CNN.

“It’s pretty clear he’s not going to leave unless there’s a major revolt in Congress,” a senior Democratic National Committee official told Reuters.

REVOLT ON THE HILL?

Widely respected moderate Democratic Senator Mark Warner invited Democratic senators to a meeting on Monday to discuss Biden’s campaign, a source told Reuters. The Washington Post reported that Warner was seeking to ask the group to pressure Biden to drop out of the race.

Biden told reporters he had spoken to at least 20 lawmakers and they had told him to stay. Asked about Warner’s call for him to leave, Biden said: “Well, Mark Warner, to my knowledge, is the only one who is considering that option.”

At the rally, Biden said he was grateful for the support of his vice president, Kamala Harris, who has emerged as the top choice to replace him if he were to step down as the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer.

One person at the Madison rally held up a sign behind Biden that read: “Pass the torch, Joe.”

After the rally, Harris posted a message of support on X, saying Biden had dedicated his life to fighting for Americans. “Right now, I know we’re all ready to fight for him,” she said.

But Illinois Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley called on MSNBC for Biden to step aside and “let somebody else do this” or risk “total catastrophe.”

In his appearances Friday, Biden criticized Trump’s intelligence and called him a liar, launching scathing attacks that were absent during his appearance on the Atlanta debate stage.

But he had harsher words for those in his party who doubt his ability to lead them to victory on November 5.

“They’re trying to take me out of the race. Well, let me say it as clearly as I can: I’m still in the race! I will beat Donald Trump. I will beat him again in 2020,” Biden said, getting the year wrong. He went on to say, “And by the way, we’re going to do it again in 2024.”

DONORS, BUSINESS LEADERS, ALLIES

A handful of donors and business leaders have made their displeasure with Biden’s candidacy loud and clear, withholding funding or exploring possible Democratic alternatives. Even some of Biden’s closest political allies, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have raised questions about his health.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement Friday urging Biden to carefully consider his decision, making her a rare Democratic governor not to issue a statement of support in recent days.

“President Biden saved our democracy in 2020 and has done a remarkable job over the last four years,” she said. “The best path forward right now is a decision the president must make. In the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully assess whether he remains our best hope of defeating Donald Trump.”

The Trump campaign and some of its allies launched a preemptive political attack on Harris, moving quickly to try to discredit her.

Trump, 78, who made numerous false claims during the Atlanta debate, falsely claimed in a video posted on social media that he had ousted Biden from the race. He made disparaging comments about Harris in the same video, which Trump’s campaign confirmed.

A group of business and civic leaders urged Biden to end his reelection bid in a letter to the White House Friday, a day after its CEO said members would still support him if he continued to run, The Washington Post reported.

Former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain, who led the debate preparation process, pushed back against donor complaints. “We are the Democratic Party!” he wrote on X. Donors “cannot decide to impeach a pro-union, pro-people president.”

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal; additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Kanishka Singh and Rami Ayyub; editing by Ross Colvin, Heather Timmons, Alistair Bell, Daniel Wallis and Diane Craft)

Disclaimer: This report is auto-generated by Reuters news service. ThePrint takes no responsibility for its content.