Authors: Andrea Sharal, Steve Holland, and Jeff Mason
MADISON, Wis. (Reuters) – President Joe Biden on Friday struggled to quell an uprising by some Democrats that forced him to abandon his re-election bid after a poor debate performance, vowing “I will keep running.”
In a fiery speech to supporters in Wisconsin and an interview with ABC News, Biden said he was the best Democratic candidate to prevent Republican Donald Trump from regaining the White House in the Nov. 5 election.
Biden’s poor performance in the June 27 debate with Trump raised serious concerns among some Democrats about his 81-year-old mental acuity and stamina.
A campaign is underway within the party to convince him to step down, with critics warning he will almost certainly fail and could drag down other Democrats. House Democrats and a group of senators are expected to hold a meeting on the issue when they return to Washington next week.
Some polls have shown Trump’s lead growing since the debate, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a third of Democrats want Biden to drop out of the race.
Biden rejected the movement on Friday.
“We had some debates last week. Can’t say it was my best performance. But there’s been a lot of speculation since then. ‘What will Joe do? Will he stay in the race? Will he drop out?'” Bye Den said. “Here’s my answer: I’m running and I’m going to win again.”
Biden again argued in a 22-minute interview with ABC News that he just had a bad night at the debate but was otherwise fine.
Under persistent questioning from ABC interviewer George Stephanopoulos, Biden dismissed polls showing him trailing Trump and said other polls showed him in a better position.
Asked whether he had undergone specific cognitive testing for neurological examination, Biden said he had not and “no one said I had to take it.” He said the White House’s strict rules were enough.
During his final medical examination on February 28, he was determined fit for duty.
Biden added that he was the best candidate to take on Trump and that only “God Almighty” could kick him out of the race.
Biden’s recent efforts to persuade Democrats to support him have been dismissed by some, even as he appears determined to keep fighting.
“He can’t seem to calculate 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 clear that barring a major insurrection in Congress, he’s not going anywhere,” a senior Democratic National Committee official told Reuters.
Uprising on the mountain?
Well-respected moderate Democratic Senator Mark Warner 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 ask the group to pressure Biden to withdraw from the race.
Biden told reporters he had spoken to at least 20 lawmakers who told him to stay. Asked about Warner asking him to resign, Biden said: “Mark Warner is the only person that I know of who has considered that.”
At the rally, Biden said he was grateful for the support of Vice President Kamala Harris, who would be the best choice to succeed him if he steps down as the Democratic standard-bearer.
One person at the Madison rally held a sign behind Biden that read: “Pass the torch, Joe.”
After the rally, Harris posted supportive remarks on X, saying Biden has dedicated his life to fighting for Americans. “At this moment, I know that all of us are ready to fight for him,” she said.
But Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., called on Biden to step down and “let someone else do it” on MSNBC or risk “a complete disaster.”
In his appearance on Friday, Biden dismissed Trump’s intelligence, called him a liar, and delivered a pointed attack not seen when he appeared on the debate stage in Atlanta.
But he had more pointed words for those in his party who doubt his ability to lead them to victory on November 5.
“They’re trying to throw me out of the race. Well, let me say it as clearly as possible: I’m going to keep running! I’m going to beat Donald Trump. I’m going to beat him again in 2020,” Biden said, spelling the wrong year . He continued: “By the way, we will do this again in 2024.”
Donors, business leaders, allies
Some donors and business leaders have loudly expressed their displeasure with Biden’s candidacy, halting funding or considering possible Democratic alternatives. Even some of Biden’s closest political allies, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have raised questions about his health.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement on Friday asking Biden to weigh the decision carefully, a rare Democratic governor in recent days not to issue a statement of support.
“President Biden saved our democracy in 2020 and has done an incredible job over the past four years,” she said. “The best way forward right now is the decision the president makes. Over the next few days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully assess whether he remains our best hope for defeating Donald Trump.”
The Trump campaign and some of his allies launched a preemptive political attack on Harris, moving quickly to try to discredit her.
Trump, 78, who made repeated false claims during the Atlanta debate, falsely claimed in a video circulating on social media that he had kicked Biden out of the race. He made disparaging comments about Harris in the same video, which the Trump campaign supported.
A group of business and civic leaders sent a letter to the White House on Friday urging Biden to end his re-election bid, a day after the White House chief executive said members would still support him if he continues to run, The Washington Post reported.
Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff who led his preparations ahead of the debate, pushed back on donor complaints. “We are the Democratic Party!” he wrote on the
