I’m not leaving, Biden says, as pressure to drop outgrows
US President Joe Biden worked to reassure senior Democrats and his campaign staff on Wednesday, following reports suggesting he was considering his future after last week’s disastrous debate with Donald Trump.
Mr. Biden held a closed-door lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House amid growing speculation that she might replace him as the party’s candidate for the upcoming November election.
Subsequently, the pair participated in a call with the broader Democratic campaign where Mr. Biden firmly stated his intention to remain in the race, with Ms. Harris reaffirming her support. “I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one’s pushing me out. I’m not leaving,” he declared on the call, according to a source who spoke with BBC News.
This message was echoed in a fundraising email sent by the Biden-Harris campaign a few hours later. “Let me say this as clearly and simply as I can: I’m running,” Mr. Biden asserted in the email, adding that he was “in this race until the end.”
Concerns have been mounting about the 81-year-old’s campaign continuation following his debate with Trump, characterized by verbal missteps, a weak voice, and some difficult-to-follow answers. This performance has raised alarms within Democratic circles regarding his fitness for office and his chances of winning the election.
Pressure on Mr. Biden to withdraw has intensified in recent days as more polls indicate a growing lead for his Republican rival. A New York Times poll conducted post-debate, published on Wednesday, showed Trump holding his largest lead yet at six points.
Additionally, a separate poll by CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, suggested Trump had a three-point lead over Biden in critical battleground states and was also leading nationally.
The negative polling results have been exacerbated by public calls from some Democratic donors and lawmakers for the president to step aside. Ramesh Kapur, an Indian-American industrialist and long-time Democratic fundraiser, told the BBC, “I think it’s time for him to pass the torch. I know he has the drive, but you can’t fight Mother Nature.”
Two Democratic members of Congress have also advocated for a change at the top of the party’s ticket. The latest, Representative Raul Grijalva of Arizona, told the New York Times that it was time for Democrats to “look elsewhere.”
Despite this, the White House and the Biden campaign have vehemently denied reports he is actively weighing his future and say he is committed to defeating Trump for a second time on 5 November.
The New York Times and CNN reported on Wednesday that Mr Biden had told an unnamed ally he was evaluating whether to stay in the race.
Both reports said the president had told the ally he was aware his re-election bid was in danger and his forthcoming appearances – including an ABC News interview and a Friday rally in Wisconsin – were hugely important to his campaign.
A spokesperson rejected the reports as “absolutely false”, shortly before White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced a barrage of questions about Mr Biden’s commitment to the race.
She said the reports he may drop out were untrue: “We asked the president [and] the president responded directly… and said ‘no, it is absolutely false’. That’s coming direct from him.”
Mr Biden met 20 Democratic governors from around the country, including California’s Gavin Newsom and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, later on Wednesday. Both have been tipped as potential replacements if Mr Biden were to stand aside.
“The president has always had our backs, we’re going to have his back as well,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told reporters after the meeting.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the two dozen governors who had just met the president pledged their support and that Mr Biden had vowed he was “in it to win it”.
But Ms Harris is still considered the most likely replacement. The 59-year-old has been hampered by poor approval ratings, but her support has increased among Democrats since the Biden-Trump debate.
The vice-president gave an immediate interview on CNN after the debate, projecting calm as she expressed full support for the president.
“She’s changing nothing,” a source close to Ms Harris told BBC News, adding that she would continue to hit the road on behalf of the campaign.
“She has always been mindful to be a good partner to the president,” said Jamal Simmons, Ms Harris’ former communications director.
“The people who ultimately will make the decision about who the nominee should be mostly are people who are pledged to him. Her best role is to be a partner to him.”
Members of the Democratic National Committee are charged with voting to officially make President Biden the party’s nominee at the August convention, putting him on the ballot nationwide.
One member, who has spoken to other delegates and requested anonymity to speak frankly about sensitive discussions, told the BBC that the nomination should go to Vice-President Harris if Mr Biden opted not to run.
“If we open up the convention, it will cause pure chaos that will hurt us in November,” they said.
A report by the Washington Post, meanwhile, said Mr Biden and his team recognised that he must demonstrate his fitness for office in the coming days.
He appeared at a Medal of Honor ceremony on Wednesday, and has planned trips to Wisconsin and Philadelphia later in the week.
