Joe Biden is doubling down on his commitment to staying in the race for reelection despite acknowledging his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald J. Trump last week. In a conference call on Wednesday, the 81-year-old asserted, “I am running. I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”
Facing reports of “very low morale” among White House and campaign staff, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris sought to reassure their supporters and donors. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed concerns over Biden’s debate performance during Wednesday’s press briefing, admitting it “wasn’t a great night.” However, she reiterated that Biden has no intention of resigning from office or dropping out of the race.
Jean-Pierre dismissed questions about Biden‘s diminished cognitive state, instead attributing his impaired debate performance to jet lag and fatigue. Biden spent eight days at Camp David preparing for last Thursday’s debate with Trump after returning to the United States from the G7 summit in Europe on June 15.
“We are in a critical moment right now,” Jean-Pierre emphasized regarding Biden’s rematch with Trump. “Everything is at stake.”
Despite Biden’s insistence on continuing his reelection campaign, opposition to his candidacy within the Democratic Party is growing. On Monday, Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) became the first Democrat lawmaker on Capitol Hill to call on Biden to step down. Doggett was later joined by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ).
A New York Times poll released Wednesday puts Trump six points ahead of Biden among those likely to vote in November, suggesting that the presidential contest is slipping away from the 81-year-old incumbent.