In a sign of the challenges facing that resolve, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) is attempting to pull together Democratic senators to approach Biden about withdrawing, according to two people with direct knowledge of the effort, arguing that Biden can no longer remain the party’s presumptive nominee in the wake of the debate. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) added his name to those calling for Biden to leave the race, saying it would cement his legacy and “prevent utter catastrophe.”
But Biden was not moved. “If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race,” he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “But the Lord Almighty is not coming down.”
Biden’s events Friday — the interview, along with a fiery rally in Wisconsin and a prickly exchange with reporters on an airport tarmac — showed clearly that he has no intention of ending his reelection bid, putting him on a collision course with many in his own party and suggesting they may have to force him out if they want to replace him at the top of the Democratic ticket.
In the ABC interview, Biden said last week’s debate performance, when he stumbled over words and sometimes struggled to complete sentences, did not reflect a deeper medical issue. “It was a bad episode. No indication of any serious condition,” he said. “I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing, and I had a bad night.”
He batted away questions about whether he would take a neurological exam, saying that in effect he faces such a test every day, given the challenges of the presidency. And he dismissed suggestions that he had become more frail in recent months.
“Can I run the 100 in 10 flat? No,” he said. “But I’m still in good shape.”
Even as his tone was defiant, Biden at times mumbled his words and gave answers that could be difficult to follow.
The interview aired several hours after Biden addressed a boisterous rally in Madison, where the crowd chanted, “Go, Joe, Go!” and Biden referred to his debate performance. “Ever since then, there’s been a lot of speculation,” Biden said. “’What’s Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out?’ Well, here’s my answer: I am running, and I’m going to win again!”
He offered a forceful response to anyone who tries to replace him at the top of the ticket.
“I’m the nominee of this party because millions of Democrats like you just voted for me in primaries all across America,” Biden told the audience. “You voted for me to be your nominee — no one else. You the voters — the voters did that. And despite — despite that, some folks don’t seem to care who you voted for. Well, guess what? They’re trying to push me out of the race. Well, let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race. I’ll beat Donald Trump.”
In the seven days since the June 27 presidential debate between Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, the Biden campaign has faced an onslaught of concerns and complaints, including from fellow Democrats urging him to drop out, donors angry that he is not doing more to reassure voters and advisers trying to rally supporters behind him.
Biden and his team, recognizing that they face a narrow window to steady the situation, scrambled to stage an afternoon rally in a key swing state and agreed to the interview. His campaign is also planning an event in Pennsylvania on Sunday and promises more travel throughout the month.
For the president — who has declared himself a respecter of fate, and who has faced both tragedy and triumph — Friday shaped up as a critical day, a moment for him to demonstrate that he has the stamina for not only a grueling months-long presidential campaign but also for another four-year term, at the end of which he would be 86 years old. It seemed unlikely his critics would feel that he had met that bar, but Biden made it clear that he was not going anywhere voluntarily.
And he forecast what is likely to be his message in coming weeks. “I keep seeing all those stories about I’m being too old,” he said at the rally. “Let me say something … I wasn’t too old to create 15 million new jobs!” He added several other accomplishments, saying each time that he “wasn’t too old” to pull them off.
He also unveiled new call-and-response lines, asking the crowd, “You think I’m too old to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land?” and “You think I’m too old to beat Donald Trump?”
The crowd shouted back each time, “No!”
Tom Petty’s song “I Won’t Back Down” played as he left the stage. Seemingly moved by crowd members’ enthusiasm at a vulnerable point in his political life, Biden returned to the podium to tell them: “I won’t forget this. God love ya.”
But if the rally and interview starkly illustrated Biden’s determination to remain the Democratic standard-bearer, the turbulence around his candidacy continued outside of it.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, issued a statement saying he should carefully weigh whether to continue his campaign.
“The best way forward right now is a decision for the president to make,” said Healey, who was among the group of governors with whom Biden met Wednesday evening. “Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.”
A prominent group of political donors, civic leaders and business executives sent Biden a letter calling on him to “cement your legacy” by ending his bid for reelection.
“We respectfully urge you to withdraw from being a candidate for reelection for the sake of our democracy and the future of our nation,” the letter said. It was organized by Leadership Now Project, a group founded in 2018 in response to threats to democratic norms.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac before departing Wisconsin, the president, when asked if he would drop out, said he was “completely ruling that out.” Asked if he could serve another four years, he said, “I’m positive.”
He said that he’s spoken to “at least 20” members of Congress and “they’re telling me to stay in the race.”
When it was pointed out that Warner was making an effort to have him reconsider, Biden responded, “Mark Warner as I understand is the only one considering that. No one else is calling [on me to do] that.”
He also dismissed the Massachusetts governor’s call, saying, “Maura Healey didn’t say anything when I was in the room. Okay?”
Biden was joined during his trip by Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), as well as other top state Democrats. But in one telling sign of the president’s standing, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who is running her own reelection race and leads in the polls, did not attend the event. She was on her own preplanned tour of the state and did not alter her schedule.
Despite the crowd’s enthusiasm, several attendees said in interviews that they had been dismayed by the debate, and had come to see for themselves how the president was doing. Some were Biden campaign volunteers, eager to support him, and wanted to be able to tell voters they had seen Biden in person and that he was fine.
“It’s a conundrum,” said Peggy Hedberg, a retiree from Madison. “He’s a great president, and he’s done a great job. But I want to make sure we have a healthy, strong candidate, because this election is so important.”
Tom Bentley, a researcher from Madison, said he was “concerned,” even if he was certain to vote for the Democratic nominee regardless.
“I think being president at 86 is not the ideal age,” Bentley said. “To be honest, I’d prefer another candidate. … I had assumed years ago he would say, ‘I did a good job, it’s time for a new generation of leadership and I’m going off to the sunset.’ ”
Biden’s campaign said the Wisconsin rally would jump-start a month of heightened activity, including a $50 million advertising campaign that will target major moments like the Olympic Games, which begin July 26, and counterprogramming that will air during the Republican National Convention, which is July 15-18.
Campaign aides said the president is planning to do additional interviews in July and “can also be expected to engage in frequent off-the-cuff moments over the course of the month.” They pointed to a video of him dropping in at a Waffle House after last week’s debate.
Next week, Biden will host a NATO summit in Washington, which will bring more than 30 heads of state and government to the nation’s capital and include a solo news conference by Biden.
For the past week, Biden’s family has been trying to bolster him and has been supportive of his staying in the race, according to four people familiar with their thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. His son, Hunter Biden, has taken on a particularly close role and has been at his father’s side, helping him prepare for remarks and attending a Medal of Honor ceremony that the president hosted at the White House.
Hunter Biden has been optimistic about his father’s ability to recover from the missteps of the debate and has aggressively rebuffed anyone who doubts him, according to people close to the president’s son.
Members of Biden’s family recognize that the debate performance was rocky, and the moment is tenuous, but believe that absent high-level defections or a significant drop in polling support, he will remain the Democratic nominee. Critics have doubted Biden throughout his political career, they say, only for him to defy expectations.
Leigh Ann Caldwell, Liz Goodwin, Hannah Knowles, Tyler Pager, and Laura Meckler contributed to this report.
