Only the Almighty can force me to give up

US President Joe Biden said only “God Almighty” could convince him to end his re-election bid, giving a rare prime-time interview to calm Democratic concerns about his candidacy.

Biden also declined to take a cognitive test and make the results public in an interview with ABC News on Friday to reassure voters that he was fit for re-election.

“I take a cognitive test every day. I take that test every day – everything I do [is a test],” he told George Stephanopoulos.

The 81-year-old, after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump last week, once again pushed back against the idea from some Democratic officials and donors that he should step aside in favor of a younger alternative.

Throughout the interview process, Mr. Stephanopoulos pressures the president Regarding his ability to be re-elected, Mr. Biden was asked whether he was in denial about his health and ability to win.

“I don’t think there’s anyone better qualified to be president or to win this race than me,” Biden said, blaming exhaustion and a “bad cold” for his poor performance last week. he still:

• Trying to assuage Democrats’ concerns about his loss to Donald Trump since the debate, he said pollsters he had spoken to said the race was “a toss-up.”
• Suggestions from allies that he might step aside were rejected. “That’s not going to happen,” he said
• dismissed repeated questions about what would force him to withdraw from the race. “If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, quit the game,’ I would quit the game,” he said.

The president spoke more clearly than when he answered questions on the debate stage last week, but his voice again sounded weak and at times hoarse.

It was in stark contrast to his performance at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, when an energetic Biden acknowledged his disastrous performance in last week’s CNN debate. “Since then, there’s been a lot of speculation. What would Joe do?” he told the crowd.

“That’s my answer. I’m running and will win again.

The interview and rally come at a critical moment in his campaign, as donors and Democratic allies consider whether to continue supporting him.

According to various reports in the US media, the campaign is aware that the coming days may determine the success or failure of his re-election bid, as Biden attempts to regain ground lost to Republican rival Donald Trump after the debate.

As Biden took the stage at the rally, he passed a voter holding a “Pass the Torch, Joe” sign. Another voter standing outside the venue held a sign that read “Save your legacy, quit!”.

“I see all these stories about me being too old,” Biden said at a rally ahead of his record winning the White House. “Am I too old to create 15 million jobs?” he said. “Am I too old to eliminate the student debt of five million Americans?”

“Do you think I’m too old to beat Donald Trump?” he asked, to which the crowd responded “no.”

Referring to Trump’s criminal conviction in New York and other charges he faces in separate cases, he called his rivals a “one-man crime wave.”

Pressure mounted on Biden to step down after the debate, in which he repeatedly lost his train of thought and raised concerns about his age and mental health.

some major democratic donors The push for Biden to step down has begun As the party’s nominee, he was publicly warned that they would withhold funds unless he was replaced.

His campaign is planning an aggressive comeback. His wife, Jill Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris are planning a campaign blitz this month, traveling to every battleground state.

Biden will speak at another rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday, where he thanked his vice president for his support. She has emerged as the most likely Democratic candidate to replace him if he steps down.

According to the Washington Post, Biden’s senior team is aware of pressure from within the Democratic Party to make a decision on the future of his candidacy within the next week.

On Friday, reports surfaced that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries plans to hold a meeting with top House Democrats on Sunday to discuss Biden’s candidacy.

Four House Democrats have now called on him to drop out of the race — Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Massachusetts State’s Seth Boulton and Illinois’ Mike Quigley.

“President Biden has done tremendous service to our country, but now it’s time for him to follow in the footsteps of one of our Founding Fathers, George Washington, and step aside to allow new leaders to stand up to Donald Trump,” Moulton told the station. It’s Trump’s time.

However, as his campaign pointed out to reporters, no top Democrats have called for his resignation.

On Friday, reports emerged that Sen. Mark Warner was trying to form a group of Democratic senators to ask Biden to withdraw from the race. According to the report, This includes an article in the Washington Postsuggesting Mr. Warner was deeply concerned about the CNN debate.

Biden told reporters late Friday that he understood Warner “was the only one taking that into consideration” and that no one else was calling for him to step down.

On the same day, Democratic Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a Biden ally, issued a statement urging the president to “carefully evaluate” whether he is still the Democratic nominee.

“No matter what President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump,” she said.

Some Democratic voters have also lost confidence in Biden’s ability to run. A Wall Street Journal poll released on Friday showed that 86% of Democrats said they would support Biden, down from 93% in February.

At the rally in Madison, Multiple Biden supporters told BBC News They supported his re-election bid and were not worried about losing the debate.

“I’m not worried about his health,” said Susan Shotliff, 56, an elementary school teacher. “I think he can make it all the way to the election and beyond.”

Some said that while Biden was at a loss for words, more attention should be focused on his Republican rivals. “During the debate, [Trump] Told a lot of lies. Is this worse than what Biden is doing?

Others expressed more concerns. “I wanted to see for myself how he looked, how he carried himself, how energetic he was,” said Thomas Leffler, a health researcher in Madison. “I worry about his ability to defeat Trump.”

“As he gets older, I think that’s going to be more and more of an issue. But I’m going to vote blue regardless,” he said.