US President Joe Biden hit back at criticism of his age, telling supporters in a fiery speech that he would win re-election in November after a poor debate performance raised new concerns about his candidacy.
“Obviously, I know I’m not a young man,” he told a rally in the battleground state of North Carolina on Friday, a day after he faced off against Republican rival Donald Trump in a televised showdown.
“I don’t walk as easily as I used to…I don’t debate as well as I used to,” he admits. “But I know what I know, and I know how to tell the truth[and]I know how to get the job done.
“I would not run again if I didn’t believe wholeheartedly that I can do this job,” added Biden, 81, as a cheering crowd in Raleigh chanted “Four More Years.”
Meanwhile, Trump held his own rally hours later in Virginia, where he hailed a “major victory” at the debate, which CNN said was watched by 48 million people on television and hundreds more. Thousands of people watched it online.
“The problem with Joe Biden is not his age,” the 78-year-old Trump said. “It’s his ability. He’s very incompetent.”
The former president dismissed speculation that Biden would drop out of the race, saying he was “doing better in the polls” including other Democrats such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris.
While questions about Biden’s age are not new, his erratic performance on the debate stage — with blank lines, a hoarse voice and some unintelligible answers — has sparked alarm among some Democrats who are skeptical of his candidacy. New questions were raised.
Democratic officials, politicians and people close to the president who spoke to the BBC’s Katty Kay painted a picture of an anxious party worried about the strength of its candidate.
Former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “From a performance standpoint, it’s not good.” Other Democrats, such as Biden’s former communications director Kate Bedingfield, called it “very disappointing debate performance”.
Democratic donors who spoke anonymously to various media outlets were more forthright, with one calling the performance “disqualifying.” “The only thing that could cause a bigger disaster is him falling off the stage. Big donors say… he has to go,” a Democratic staffer told the Financial Times.
But publicly, many senior Democrats and Biden allies defended his performance and tried to calm concerns on Friday. Former President Barack Obama, one of those backing Biden, tweeted that “bad debate nights happen.”
“This election remains a choice between a man who has spent his life fighting for ordinary people and a man who only cares about himself,” Obama wrote, adding that Trump is “a man who lies through his teeth for his own gain.” people”.
Biden and his campaign quickly dismissed calls for him to resign as candidate. “President Biden is the only one who beat Donald Trump. He will beat Donald Trump again,” one campaign adviser said. “This election will never be won or lost in one rally, one conversation or one debate. “
The Biden campaign also said the president has raised $14 million from fundraising events in recent days, in an apparent effort to show it is maintaining momentum. Biden is expected to meet with donors on Friday and Saturday, including events in Manhattan and the affluent Hamptons.
