President Biden in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, July 7, 2024. leave.
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President Biden sent a two-page letter to Democratic lawmakers on Monday saying “I am deeply committed to staying in this race” and saying speculation about his future is helping former President Donald Trump — —It’s time to stop.
“The question of how to move forward has been discussed extensively for more than a week. It’s time to end it. We have one job,” Biden said.
Biden, 81, has maintained that he will continue to run, despite severe hesitance in debates with Trump, a performance that alarmed Democrats worried about his ability to run, win and govern. He has said he suffered from a cold and jet lag and has since struggled to prove he was still up to the job.
He called MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Monday morning and angrily defended his record and decisions.
“I beat him last time,” he said of Trump. “I will definitely defeat him this time.”
Biden also said he last had a neurological exam in February as part of a physical exam.
Biden sounded frustrated during the MSNBC talk. He dismissed calls from prominent Democrats to drop out of the race, saying: “I don’t care what the big guys think,” adding that he was “frustrated with the party elite.”
“They were wrong in 2020, wrong in 2022 about the ‘red wave’ and wrong in 2024,” he said.
“I’m not going to explain anymore what I should or shouldn’t do,” Biden added. “I’m running, I’m running.”
Biden also said those who think he should withdraw should attend next month’s Democratic National Convention and challenge him.
“Come on, give me a break. Come with me. Watch. Watch,” he said, referring to voter support in recent campaigns. “I’m very frustrated with the elites in the party… who ‘know better.’ But if any of these people think I shouldn’t run, then challenge me at the convention.”
In his letter, Biden said he had spoken with party leaders and Democratic voters and said, “I am not blind to the concerns expressed,” but said: “If I were not absolutely convinced that I was the best, I won’t run for office again.
He said Democratic voters spoke during the primaries and it was their decision, “not the media, not the experts, not the big donors.”
“This is a process open to anyone who wants to run it. Only three people chose to challenge me. One of them did so poorly that he dropped out of the primary and ran as an independent candidate. Another attacked me saying Too many, and the result is total defeat,” he said, apparently referring to Rep. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., respectively.
NPR’s Elena Moore contributed to this report
