Biden says 'I'm not going anywhere' as calls to quit race grow
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[July 05, 2024]
By Steve Holland, Andrea Shalal and Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden said "I'm not going anywhere"
as he faced calls by many Democrats to end his re-election bid, using
the Fourth of July celebrations on Thursday to hit back at doubts about
his stamina and mental acuity to continue his campaign.
The 81-year-old Democrat's shaky showing at a June 27 debate with
Republican rival Donald Trump means his every appearance is now closely
scrutinized. Many Democratic voters are worried about whether he can
keep up a grueling pace of work for the next 4-1/2 years and some in his
party have urged him to step aside.
Biden was hosting the annual U.S. Independence Day festivities at the
White House on Thursday, including a barbecue for a few thousand
active-duty military service members and their families.
Biden, in a suit with no necktie, began his remarks with a forceful
“Happy Independence Day!"
Reading from a teleprompter, Biden made no major errors in delivering
brief remarks, but at one point appeared to go off script to make
reference to a war cemetery that Trump declined to visit while in
office.
"By the way, you know, I was in that World War One cemetery in France.
The one that one of our colleagues, a former president didn't want to
go...," he said, his voice dropping to a low volume and trailing off.
"I probably shouldn't have said, anyway," Biden added, before continuing
his remarks.
As Biden mingled and took selfies with guests, someone called out for
him to "Keep up the fight."
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"You got me, man. I'm not going anywhere," Biden said, repeating his
pledge to remain in the race despite the growing calls to step aside.
Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Walt Disney who founded the company
that bears his name and who has been a major Democratic donor, became
the latest donor to call for Biden to withdraw from the presidential
election, telling CNBC on Thursday that she will halt donations to the
Democratic Party until he does so.
Vice President Kamala Harris is the leading contender to take his place
in the Nov. 5 election if Biden were to drop out, sources have said,
though his allies believe he can assuage the concerns of voters and
donors.
Among the events on Biden's calendar being closely scrutinized is an
interview with ABC News on Friday that will be aired in full at 8 p.m.
ET (0000 GMT Saturday). He also travels to Wisconsin the same day for a
campaign rally.
Dozens of Democrats in the House of Representatives are watching closely
and prepared to ask Biden to step aside if he falters in the ABC
interview, a source told Reuters. Democrats see capturing control of the
House in November as critical, as it could be their last hold on power
in Washington if Trump returns to the White House and Republicans
capture the Senate.
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![](../images/070524PIX/news_m24.jpg)
U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden host an
Independence Day celebration with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris
and second gentleman Douglas C. Emhoff on the South Lawn of the
White House in Washington, U.S., July 4, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth
Frantz - RC2OO8AFGCXF
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png)
Biden faces a new reality since last week's debate - even if he
doesn't falter verbally or physically, serious concerns about his
viability as a candidate are likely to linger. If he mangles words
or looks unfocused or confused, he will face renewed pressure to
depart.
If reelected, Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term. He is
being asked by some former supporters to step aside to preserve his
legacy and lessen the chances of a second Trump presidency. With
just four months to go before the election, a decision needs to be
made soon, they say.
Democrats, including top allies, have left the door open to having
Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket.
SEEN BY DOCTOR
The White House has repeatedly said the president was suffering from
a cold and jet lag on the night of the debate. On Wednesday, White
House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden had not had any
kind of medical exam since his annual physical in February.
"He did not get checked out by the doctor. It's a cold, guys. It's a
cold," she said at a news briefing.
However, spokesperson Andrew Bates said on Thursday that Biden saw a
doctor after the debate. "Several days later, the president was seen
to check on his cold and was recovering well,” he said.
Trump, 78, who made multiple false statements from the debate stage
in Atlanta, falsely claimed in a video that was circulated on social
media that he had driven Biden out of the race. He made disparaging
comments about Harris in the same video.
Asked in a radio interview with WURD that aired on Thursday morning,
whether there was any reason for the American people to be concerned
after last week's debate, Biden demurred.
"No, I had a bad debate," he said, adding that this should not erase
what he has done as president for three and a half years.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Jul/05/images/ads/current/humanesociety_sda022411.png)
Biden's standing in opinion polls took a hit after the debate. Some
59% of Democrats responding to a Reuters/Ipsos poll said that Biden
was too old to work in government, a concern that has shown up
persistently in public opinion polling over the past year.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Andrea Shalal and Jeff Mason; writing
by Simon Lewis; Editing by Heather Timmons, Ross Colvin and Deepa
Babington)
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