Biden has told his campaign he will remain a candidate, despite his dismal performance in the debates and growing pressure from some Democrats.
US President Joe Biden has vowed to continue his reelection campaign “to the very end” as he fights to remain the Democratic nominee amid growing concerns about his own mental and physical health.
Biden, 81, insisted on Wednesday he would continue to run despite growing pressure from within his party to step aside following his disastrous performance in last week's debate with Republican nominee Donald Trump.
“Let me say this as clearly as I can, as simply as I can, as frankly as I can: I'm running. No one is trying to get rid of me,” Biden said on a conference call with campaign staff.
“I'm not quitting. I'm going to fight this race to the end. And we're going to win.”
Biden's defiant comments came after US media reported that the president and his team acknowledged that Biden's candidacy risked collapsing within days if he could not convince the public that he was fit for the presidency.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre denied the reports and insisted Biden was “calm and continuing to campaign.”
Concerns about Biden's age and health have grown since the president gave some incoherent answers during last Thursday's debate.
While acknowledging Biden's poor debate performance, his team rejected suggestions he was suffering from dementia or cognitive impairment.
White House officials initially blamed Biden's poor performance on a cold.
Biden said Tuesday that he was exhausted from back-to-back visits to France and Italy, even though he spent the week leading up to the debate in an undisclosed location at Camp David, the presidential resort.
Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona on Wednesday became the second Democrat to call on Biden to step down, following Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas the day before.
Several other Democrats have also publicly questioned Biden's condition or said they expect him to lose to Trump in November's presidential election.
“Unfortunately, as things stand, a Trump presidency is likely, and taking a more hardline stance when our current strategy is not working is almost always the wrong decision,” Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said in a statement Wednesday, adding that he was “taking time” to consider the best path forward for the party.
“President Biden is not going to get any younger.”
Democratic Concerns
Biden met with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House late Wednesday and received encouragement from Democratic governors who reiterated their support for the president.
“The president has always had our backs, and we're going to have his back,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters.
“The president is our appointee,” Moore said. “The president is the leader of our party.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who attended the meeting, said Biden was “in it to win, and I support him.”
Biden, 78, became the oldest man in U.S. history to become president after defeating Trump in the 2020 election. If he wins a second time, he will leave office at age 86. If Trump wins in November, he will be 78 when he begins his second term.
Biden's age has long been a concern among voters, and his popularity among the public appears to have dropped significantly since his debate appearances.
A New York Times/Siena College poll released Wednesday showed Trump leading Biden among registered voters, 49 percent to 41 percent, the largest margin since 2015.
The poll found that nearly three-quarters of voters, including a majority of Democrats, believe the president is too old to serve a second term, up five points since the debate.
A CNN poll released earlier this week found that three-quarters of registered voters said Democrats would be more likely to win the election if someone other than Biden ran.
Voters also favor Trump over Biden, 49 percent to 43 percent.
Harris fared slightly better, receiving the support of 45% of voters compared to 47% for Trump.
If Biden steps down, the race will enter uncharted territory. The US presidential primaries, in which party members typically vote on who they want as their nominee, have already concluded, but the party's nominee won't be finalized until next month's Democratic National Convention.
If Biden were to step down, Harris, who has supported her boss, is seen as the most likely to succeed him.
Other names mentioned include Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
