President Joe Biden’s campaign has denied reports that the Democrat will end his bid for a second term in the White House.
Top Democrats have called on the 81-year-old to leave the race as his campaign continues to struggle to recover from his weak debate performance and numerous verbal gaffes. Biden announced on July 18 that he had contracted COVID-19 and canceled a campaign event in Las Vegas.
“Absolutely the president is in this race. You've heard him say that time and time again,” said Jen O’Malley Dillon, the chairwoman for the Biden campaign, during a July 19 appearance on Morning Joe. “Donald Trump is not going to offer anything new to the American people. He is the same person he was in 2020. He is the same person he was at the debate stage.”
O’Malley Dillion said the Republican presidential candidate “is about himself and not about the American people.”
“Joe Biden is more committed than ever to beat Donald Trump,” she said. “We believe on this campaign that we are built for the close election that we are in and we see the path forward.”
The chairwoman maintained that Biden “is the best person to take on Donald Trump."
Her statements follow Trump’s address at the 2024 Republican National Convention, where he accepted his party’s presidential nomination. During the speech, he recounted the July 13 attempted assassination in Pennsylvania. He was stuck in the ear while a rally attendee – 50-year-old Corey Comperatore – died after the shooter opened fire.
Hours before Trump took the stage in Wisconsin at the RNC, Congressman Adam Schiff of California called on Biden to withdraw from the race.
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” Schiff said in a statement, per AP News. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
Biden reportedly met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer over the weekend, where the New York Democrat also urged him to leave the race. Schumer had not publicly addressed this claim. His office released a brief statement confirming that the men had met on July 13.
“I sat with President Biden this afternoon in Delaware; we had a good meeting,” said Schumer, per ABC News.
Other leaked reports have suggested former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also asked Biden to leave the race.
Despite increasing tensions, Biden and his campaign have maintained for weeks that they have no intention of ending the race. Biden sent a letter to Congressional Democrats on July 8 addressing the speculation that sharply spiked after his debate with Trump on June 27.
“Believe me, I know better than anyone the responsibility and the burden the nominee of our party carries,” he wrote. “I carried it in 2020 when the fate of our nation was at stake… I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
