US President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to stay in the race for the White House, brushing aside a growing rebellion in the Democratic Party that had fueled speculation he could drop out of the election as early as this weekend.
“The stakes are high and the choice is clear. Together, we will win,” the 81-year-old said in a statement from his home in Delaware Beach, where he is in COVID isolation.
“I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week,” Biden said, adding that his doctor said the president was recovering from symptoms of the illness.
But Biden’s political situation looks far worse, as ten more Democrats in the House and two senators have joined the list of lawmakers who have publicly called on him to withdraw from November’s electoral contest with Donald Trump.
Concerns about Biden’s age and health have grown after his poor performance in the debate against Trump three weeks ago. More than 30 House Democrats and four senators have now called on him to drop out of the debate.
One major donor, Silicon Valley investor Michael Moritz, also joined other supporters such as actor George Clooney, who want Biden to give way.
“Sadly, President Biden has a choice — arrogance or virtue,” the New York Times quoted Moritz as saying.
With reports of even top Democrats expressing concern, polls showing Trump is headed for a return to the Oval Office, and fundraising slowing down, it appears the walls are closing in.
NBC News reported that some members of Biden’s family had “discussed what would happen if he stepped away from the campaign”, though no final decision had been made on doing so.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the front-runner to replace Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee if he does not run, held an emergency meeting with donors on Friday.
However, Biden’s campaign denied reports that he would withdraw from the election, and said that although there had been some “drop” in support, he was still the best candidate.
“The president is definitely in the race,” campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program. “Joe Biden is more committed than ever to defeating Donald Trump.”
‘Dark Vision’
In his statement, Biden criticized his opponent’s speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday, saying that “Donald Trump’s bleak vision for the future is not who we are as Americans.”
But the divisions between the two campaigns are starkly visible, with Trump receiving a triumphant reception from newly unified Republicans after he survived an assassination attempt on Saturday.
The pressure on Biden has mounted considerably over the past 48 hours, with reports that former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the party’s congressional leaders had expressed concerns behind the scenes.
Top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said Friday that “the ticket that exists right now is a ticket we can win on” but that it’s up to Biden “to decide.”
The scene is now set for what could be the most crucial weekend of Biden’s presidency, with media speculation that the US leader is using his time in Rehoboth Beach to consult with his family members and consider the way forward.
NBC reports that this could involve a “carefully thought-out plan” for him to step down on his own schedule, to give some respect to the historically late decision by a sitting US president not to run for office.
Any decision by Biden to step down less than four months before the election would also be an attempt to avoid chaos in the Democratic Party over his successor.
Biden defeated Trump in 2020, becoming the oldest president in US history.
But several polls show her trailing Trump in the 2024 race, despite her opponent being a convicted felon, while some polls show Harris as more competitive.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)