The Biden campaign is urgently working to assure Democratic donors and voters that the president's recent performance against Trump was an isolated incident and not a damaging blow to his chances of securing a second term.
Reports suggesting that President Joe Biden plans to exit the upcoming November presidential election have been firmly denied by the White House. A spokeswoman, speaking to AFP, dismissed these claims on Wednesday.
Following last week’s TV debate, Democrats experienced widespread panic, with increasing internal discussions about finding a replacement candidate. This anxiety was fueled by polls showing Trump gaining a significant lead.
According to reports from The New York Times and CNN, Biden, 81, had confided in a key ally that his reelection efforts depended on quickly convincing the public of his capability to continue leading. However, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre rejected these reports, affirming Biden's commitment to the race.
“The president is clear-eyed and he is staying in the race,” she told reporters.
In a conference call with campaign and party staffers, Biden reiterated his determination to remain in the race.
“I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win because when Democrats unite, we will always win. Just as we beat Donald Trump in 2020, we’re going to beat him again in 2024,” he stated, according to a source close to the campaign.
Biden reiterated this message during an emergency meeting at the White House with Democratic governors, who expressed their continued support.
“As the president continued to tell us, and show us, that he was all in… we said that we would stand with him,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a potential future presidential candidate, told reporters alongside Minnesota’s Tim Walz and Kathy Hochul of New York.
Walz affirmed that Biden was “fit to serve.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, also present at the meeting and considered a top candidate should Biden step down, reinforced her support on X, stating that he "is our nominee."
“He is in it to win it and I support him,” she added.
Biden has openly admitted his poor performance in the debate. In a candid radio interview with Wisconsin’s Civic Media recorded Wednesday, he acknowledged, “I screwed up. I made a mistake. That’s 90 minutes on stage. Look at what I’ve done in 3.5 years.”