By Andrea Shalal, Steve Holland, and Jeff Mason
MADISON, Wis. (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden sought on Friday to quell an uprising among some Democrats who are pressuring him to abandon his re-election campaign after a poor debate performance, vowing to “stay in the race.”
In a fiery speech to supporters in Wisconsin and an interview with ABC News, Biden claimed he was the best Democratic candidate to prevent Republican Donald Trump from retaking the White House in the Nov. 5 election.
Biden’s faltering performance in his debate with Trump on June 27 has raised serious concerns among some Democrats about his mental strength and stamina at age 81.
There is a movement within the party to persuade him to step down, with critics warning that he faces almost certain defeat and could drag other Democrats down with him. House Democrats and a group of senators are expected to meet to discuss the issue when they return to Washington next week.
Some public opinion polls have shown Trump’s lead widening since the debate, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that one in three Democrats wants Biden to drop out of the race.
Biden rejected the move on Friday.
“There was a little discussion last week. I can’t say I did the best. But since then there’s been a lot of speculation. What is Joe going to do? Will he stay in the race? Will he drop out? Well, here’s my answer: I’m going to run and I’m going to win again.”
Biden used a 22-minute interview with ABC News to reiterate that he had a bad night at the debate but was otherwise fine.
Under sustained questioning by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Biden dismissed polls that showed him trailing Trump and said other polls put him in a better position.
Asked if he had undergone a specific cognitive test for a neurological examination, Biden said he had not, “and no one said I had to.” He said the White House’s rigor was sufficient.
In his last physical examination on February 28, he was found fit for duty.
Biden added that he is the best candidate to face Trump and that only “God Almighty” can remove him from the race.
Some have dismissed Biden’s recent efforts to persuade Democrats to stick with him, though he has appeared determined to keep fighting.
“He seems unable to comprehend the fact that people have 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 anywhere unless there’s a major upheaval in Congress,” a senior Democratic National Committee official told Reuters.
Revolution on the hill?
Senator Mark Warner, a respected moderate Democrat, is inviting Democratic senators to a meeting on Monday to discuss Biden’s campaign, a source told Reuters. The Washington Post reported that Warner is seeking to have the group pressure Biden to drop out of the race.
Biden told reporters he had spoken to at least 20 lawmakers and they had asked him to stay. Asked about Warner’s call for him to leave, Biden said: “Well, Mark Warner, as far as I know, is the only one who is considering that.”
Biden said during the rally that he was grateful for the support of his vice president, Kamala Harris, who has emerged as the first choice to replace him if he steps down as the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer.
At the Madison rally, someone held up a sign behind Biden that read: “Pass the torch, Joe.”
Harris posted a supportive note on Twitter after the rally, saying Biden had dedicated his life to fighting for Americans. “In this moment, I know we are all ready to fight for him,” she said.
But Illinois Democratic Rep. Mike Cogley, on MSNBC, called on Biden to step aside and “let someone else do it” or risk “complete disaster.”
In his appearance on Friday, Biden attacked Trump’s intelligence, called him a liar, and launched scathing attacks that were absent when he appeared on the debate stage in Atlanta.
But he had sharper words for those in his party who doubt his ability to lead them to victory on Nov. 5.
“They’re trying to get me out of the race. Let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race! I’m going to beat Donald Trump. I’m going to beat him again in 2020,” Biden said, mistaking his year for the year. “And by the way, we’re going to do it again in 2024.”
Donors, Business Leaders and Allies
A handful of donors and business leaders have been vocal about their displeasure with Biden’s candidacy, cutting funding or considering potential 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 asking Biden to weigh the decision carefully, a rare Democratic governor who has not issued a statement of support in recent days.
“President Biden saved our democracy in 2020 and has done an incredible job over the past four years,” she added. “The best way forward now is for the president to make a decision. Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and assess whether he still represents our best hope for defeating Donald Trump.”
The Trump campaign and some of its allies launched a preemptive political strike against Harris, moving quickly to try to discredit her.
Trump, 78, who made multiple false statements during the debate in Atlanta, falsely claimed in a video circulating on social media that he had knocked Biden out of the race. He also made derogatory comments about Harris in the same video, which the Trump campaign supported.
A group of business and civil society leaders urged Biden to end his re-election bid in a letter to the White House on Friday, a day after the group’s chief executive said members would still support him if he continued running, The Washington Post reported.
Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff, who led the debate preparation, responded to the donors’ complaints. “We are the Democratic Party!” he wrote on the X website. “Donors do not get to decide whether to fire a pro-worker, pro-people president.”