US President Joe Biden said on Friday he intends to defeat Republican rival Donald Trump in the November presidential election, giving no indication he would consider dropping out of the race after a weak performance in the debate that dismayed his fellow Democrats.
“I’m here in North Carolina for one reason: I intend to win this state in November,” Biden said at a rally in the battleground state a day after the head-to-head showdown with his Republican rival, which was widely perceived as a defeat for the 81-year-old president.
“I know I’m not a young man, to state the obvious,” said an enthusiastic Biden, cheered on by a crowd chanting “four more years.”
“I wouldn’t run again if I didn’t believe with all my heart and soul that I could do this job. The stakes are too high,” Biden said.
Biden’s verbal stumbles and occasionally errant responses in the debate raised voter concerns that he might be unfit to serve another four-year term and led some of his Democratic colleagues to wonder whether they might replace him as their nominee for the elections. November 5 elections.
For his part, Trump, 78, raised a series of falsehoods and sidetracked questions throughout the debate, but much of the subsequent attention was focused squarely on Biden, especially among Democrats.
Hakeem Jeffries, leader of the Democratic Party in the US House of Representatives, avoided answering directly when asked if he still had faith in Biden’s candidacy.
“I support the ballot. I support the Democratic majority in the Senate. We are going to do everything we can to take back the House in November. Thank you all,” he told reporters.
Other Democrats said they would evaluate their options in the coming days. When asked if they should look for another candidate, Rep. Jim McGovern said, “I haven’t come to any conclusions yet.”
Former US President Barack Obama acknowledged that Biden had a “poor” performance in the debate against Trump, but maintained his support.
“Debate nights are bad. Believe me, I know,” Obama said on X, formerly Twitter.
“But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary people his entire life and someone who only cares about himself,” Obama wrote, adding: “That didn’t change last night.”
Biden’s campaign said it raised $14 million on Thursday and Friday, posting its best fundraising momentum in the immediate aftermath of Thursday night’s debate. Trump’s campaign said it raised $8 million on the night of the debate.
Biden, already the oldest U.S. president in history, faced only token opposition during the party’s months-long nominating contest, and has garnered enough support to secure his place as the Democratic nominee.
Former President Trump also outperformed his rivals within the party earlier in the year, setting the stage for a long and bitter general election fight.
Three columnists from the New York Times’ left-wing opinion section called on Biden to drop out of the race.
One Biden donor, who asked not to be named, called his performance “disqualifying” and predicted some Democrats would revisit calls for him to step aside.
That would give the party time to choose another nominee at its national convention, which begins Aug. 19 — a potentially messy process that could pit Kamala Harris, the nation’s first Black vice president, against governors and other officials whose names have been floated as possible replacements.
“If he made this decision, it’s important that we use it to our advantage,” Democratic Rep. Katie Porter said at a conference in Colorado.
Democratic officials played down that possibility.
“It’s not likely to happen,” Biden campaign co-chairman Mitch Landrieu said on .
One campaign staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was frustrated by Biden’s performance and hoped it would prompt top strategists to rethink their approach.
But other advisers and allies said privately that they did not believe the setback would threaten his chances of winning the nomination.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats, including potential replacements like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, said they were not abandoning Biden.
Former President Barack Obama also acknowledged that Biden had a “poor” performance in the debate, but maintained his support.
“Debate nights are bad. Believe me, I know,” Obama said on X, formerly Twitter.
“But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for everyday people his entire life and someone who only cares about himself,” Obama posted, adding, “Last night that didn’t change.”
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