US President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 5, 2024.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
With his reelection campaign facing an existential crisis, President Joe Biden struck a defiant tone, insisting he would stay in the race against former President Donald Trump.
“I am running and going to win again,” Biden said at a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday.
The Democratic incumbent, 81, acknowledged that he fared poorly in last week’s presidential debate, when he appeared tired, raspy and inarticulate.
“Can’t say it’s my best performance,” Biden said.
Biden spoke with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos Friday after the campaign rally, and ABC will broadcast the interview during a “primetime special” on Friday at 8 p.m. ET. An advance clip will air during ABC’s “World News Tonight with David Muir,” scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
But it is far from clear if a single interview, even a successful one, can reverse the damage from the debate against the 78-year-old Trump.
The debate ignited hair-on-fire panic among Biden’s supporters about his ability to campaign, spurring a growing number of them to urge him to withdraw from the race.
Biden delivered a defiant message to those nervous allies Friday, while he attempted to flip the script on the concerns about his age.
“They’re trying to push me out of the race,” he told a crowd of supporters. “Well let me say this as clearly as I can: I’m staying in the race.”
“I’m not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out 3 1/2 years of work,” he added.
While Biden sounded consistently louder and clearer in Friday’s speech than he did in last week’s debate, he still occasionally slurred or fumbled over certain words and phrases.
Frustration mounts among Dems
The ABC interview could mark an inflection point for the Biden campaign, which in the wake of the ruinous debate has faced mounting calls from top donors, political allies and supporters in the media to replace the top of the Democratic ticket.
On Capitol Hill, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, a longtime Biden ally, has launched a new effort to convene Democratic senators next week to discuss what Biden’s path forward might be, NBC News reported.
On Thursday, for instance, Disney heiress and longtime Democratic donor Abigail Disney told CNBC that she will withhold donations until Biden withdraws.
On Wednesday, a group of business leaders corralled by the pro-Democracy Leadership Now Project urged Biden to step aside.
Editorial boards of multiple newspapers, including The New York Times, have issued the same call.
Questions are now swirling about how an alternative candidate, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, might take Biden’s place as the new nominee.
The Trump campaign and Republican Party,