United States President Joe Biden vowed on Wednesday to keep running for reelection, despite growing concerns from within his own party about his fitness for office. Biden's performance in a recent debate against Donald Trump raised questions about his mental and physical health. Some suggested he should withdraw from the race.
“I am running. I am the leader of the Democratic Party. No one is pushing me out," Biden said in a call with staffers on his reelection campaign, according to a top aide who posted his comment on the X social media platform.
The New York Times and ABC News both reported that Biden had told allies that the next few days will be significant in recovering his standing, although sources speaking to both outlets stressed that he wanted to continue.
At 78, Biden was the oldest person ever sworn into the US presidency following his victory in the 2020 election over Trump. A second victory would see him leave office at the age of 86. If Trump were to win in November, he would also be 78 when he enters office for his second term.
The concerns came to a head during the June 27 debate, particularly within the first 10 minutes when a gruff-voiced, slow-moving Biden gave several answers that meandered into incoherence. In contrast, the typically bombastic Trump remained relatively controlled during the debate.
The White House has since said Biden was suffering from a cold that hurt his performance. The president said he was not at his physical best during the debate, reportedly telling donors on Tuesday his demanding schedule of time-zone hopping travel was partially to blame and that he nearly “fell asleep on the stage”.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre had a tough time defending the President's statement wherein he attributed his foreign trips to Europe as an explanation to his poor performance at the presidential debate against Trump in Atlanta last week.
"How is it that the president was still tired 12 days after returning from Europe, had a cold but then went to the Waffle House and then the following day, staged such a huge comeback that he gave those North Carolina Remarks? Help us understand," the secretary was asked.
“There's a cold. There's a jet lag. You combine that, he continues to work for the American people day in and day out around the clock, things happen, things happen. And the cold thing is something that you all pointed out during his debate. We didn't even point that out. You all pointed that when you heard his voice being hoarse, because he knew he had to push through,” Jean-Pierre said.
"He knew he has to power through. That's what presidents do. If you care about this country and you don't care about yourself, and you care about the American people. You care about delivering for this country, you care about how you're going to continue to work day in and day out, you push through,” she said.
In response to a question about whether there is any discussion that if the president were to suspend his campaign, he would also resign, she said, "No. No. Absolutely not."
Asked if there are any discussions about the vice president assuming Biden's duties, she again said, “Absolutely not.”
"What I can say is the president is moving forward. He's moving forward as being president. He's moving forward with his campaign, as his campaign has been very, very clear about that. That's what I can speak to and that's what I can say. And that is the president's focus," the press secretary said.
"The president's focus is how does he continue to do that work. And anything else that we're hearing or that's being reported is absolutely false," Jean-Pierre added.
(With agency inputs)
