Biden Tells Democrats He’s ‘Firmly Committed’ To Staying In The Race Amid Mounting Calls To Drop Out

 

Biden penned a letter to congressional Democrats Monday affirming his re-election bid as calls for him to drop out of the race mount

President Joe Biden sent a letter to Democrats on Capitol Hill Monday saying he will continue his re-election bid, the latest attempt by the president to restore confidence in his campaign as more House Democrats call for him to drop out following his debate performance last month.

KEY FACTS

Biden said he has had “extensive conversations” with Democratic party leaders, elected officials and voters to hear concerns over the past 10 days, going on to say: “I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”

Nine House Democrats have called on Biden to end his re-election bid as of Sunday, and others have expressed concerns about his future in the race.

On Monday, Biden also said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he was confident the “average voter” still wants to see him face off against Trump.

CRUCIAL QUOTE

“Now that you have returned from the July 4th recess, I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” Biden wrote in Monday’s letter.

TANGENT

In addition to congressional Democrats, a number of billionaires have called on the president to end his re-election bid. Among those are Walmart’s Christy Walton and crypto investor Michel Novogratz, who signed a letter with more than 100 others calling on Biden to “pass the torch” on Friday.

KEY BACKGROUND

The presidential debate between Trump and Biden last month was viewed as the most important night of the 2024 election thus far, and Biden’s performance was widely viewed as disastrous. The fallout from the debate has led to the mounting calls for him to drop out of the race—from Democrats, donors and critics alike—as the president and his campaign work to salvage his re-election bid, most recently in a Friday interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. Several Republicans have also called for the 25th Amendment to be enacted, which would oust Biden from the presidency and have Vice President Kamala Harris replace him.