On Friday, President Joe Biden put out a statement saying he would not drop his presidential bid despite growing calls from fellow Democrats that it’s time for him to go.
Biden, in his remarks, took aim at former President Donald Trump who spoke at the Republican National Convention on Thursday. Biden claimed, “for over 90 minutes, he focused on his own grievances, with no plan to unite us and no plan to make life better for working people.”
President Biden, 81, said Trump had made contentious remarks and “destroyed our economy once and will inflict pain on the middle class” and that he “wants to gut the checks and balances of our Constitution and rule as a dictator on day one.”
“Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box,” Biden said. “I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone.”
Dozens of elected Democrats, frustrated by Biden’s debate performance against Trump last month, are calling for Biden to drop out.
Even as the party’s top Democratic leaders have warned Biden behind closed doors to step aside and not sabotage their own chances in an election bid, he and his administration have stayed strong.
As Biden Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a recent statement, “You have heard from the President directly time and again: He is in this race to win, and he is our nominee, and he’s going to be our President for a second term.”