President Biden on Monday challenged his critics to “challenge me at the convention” if they want to drop out of the presidential race, refusing to back down in a defiant letter to Democratic lawmakers and in fiery remarks on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” show.
Biden declared he was “frustrated by the elites” who were calling for him to drop out of the race, and used the intimate platform of a morning news show to respond to calls for him to show a vigor missing from his lethargic performance in the June 27 debate.
Biden's voice broke several times during the brief phone interview, including after one of the moderators asked him if he had undergone a neurological exam after the debate. Biden, appearing frustrated and angry, denied claims that his stamina and mental capacity had not actually been tested.
“It drives me crazy to see people talking about this,” he said.
Less than an hour after the interview, Biden's campaign released a letter to congressional Democrats saying the president was “committed to continuing the campaign” — a scathing response to congressional allies who have increasingly publicly called on the president to step down.
“The question of how to proceed has been under discussion for well over a week now,” Biden wrote in a two-page letter released by his campaign, “and it is time to end it. We have one job: to defeat Donald Trump.”
The president reiterated his refusal to concede on “Morning Joe,” saying he wasn't concerned by any of the senior lawmakers or critics who have called for him to resign, including Reps. Jerrold Nadler of New York and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, the Judiciary Committee's top Democrats.
“I don't care what the bigwigs think,” Biden said, raising his voice considerably.
“If any of you think I shouldn't run, run against me,” he added. “Go ahead and announce your candidacy for president. Challenge me at the convention.”
Trump also repeated his claim that he is the only Democrat capable of carrying out the duties of the presidency — a claim that has been at the center of debate during his four years in office and a driving force behind his campaign against former President Donald J. Trump.
“Who else do you think could come in here and do this?” he told the hosts. “I expanded NATO.”
The letter and surprise interview came a day after several top House Democrats said in a private conference call that Biden should drop out of the race, adding enormous pressure to the president and his advisers.
The letter was likely intended to head off further calls for his resignation when lawmakers return to Washington on Monday, but Biden appeared to have grown tired of the growing criticism from Congress, the press and others.
The two-page letter rejects criticism, denies allegations of his shortcomings and calls for unity.
“We are 42 days away from the Democratic National Convention and 119 days away from the general election,” he wrote. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the agenda ahead will only help Trump and hurt us all.”
In his letter, the president made no concessions about his age, his ability to perform the duties of the presidency or his ability to campaign tough on President Trump in the coming months.
Rather, he argued that anyone who tries to boot him out of the race would be denying the wishes of voters who participated in the primary, though he pointed to the fact that he faced only nominal opposition.
“This was a process that was open to anyone who wanted to run. Only three people chose to challenge me,” Biden wrote. “One performed so badly that he dropped out of the primary to run as an independent. The other attacked me for being too old and was soundly defeated. Democratic voters voted. They chose me to be their party's nominee.”
He added: “Am I now saying this process isn't important? I would not say that.”
Biden spends much of the letter reciting his own accomplishments — including creating 15 million jobs, taking down “Big Pharma,” investing in climate change and working to improve the nation's infrastructure — and contrasting them with the economic vision of “Trump and the MAGA Republicans.”
But it's unclear whether the letter will ease the concerns of his allies in Congress, which repeats claims Biden has tried to make on the campaign trail since the debate and in an interview with ABC News on Friday.
