Debunking all the speculations about US President Joe Biden potentially withdrawing from the Presidential race following criticism of his debate performance in Atlanta, Biden reaffirmed on Friday that he is the Democratic presidential nominee and intends to continue his candidacy for the upcoming November 5 elections.
As reported by PTI, Biden addressed these doubts, asserting his commitment to running and expressing confidence in his prospects for winning the election.
“We had a little debate last week. Can't say it was my best performance. But ever since then, there's been a lot of speculation. What's Joe going to do? Is he going to stay in the race? Is he going to drop out? What's he going to do? Well, here's my answer. I am running and going to win again,” Biden told his cheering supporters in the battle ground State of Wisconsin.
“I am the sitting President of the United States of America, no small part because of you. That's not a joke. In 2020, you came through for me. I'm the nominee of the Democratic Party. I'm the nominee of this party because millions of Democrats like you just voted for me in primaries all across America. You voted for me to be your nominee. No one else. You, the votes. The voters did that,” he said during the rally.
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He went on to add, “And 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. I beat him in 2020. And by the way, we're going to do it again in 2024.”
“I learned long ago, when you get knocked down, you get back up. I'm not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out three-and-a-half years of work. I've led this nation through the depths of the pandemic to the strongest economy in the world, and that's literally true. I and you are not finished yet,” he said.
Biden also took this opportunity to address the issue of his advancing age.
"You probably also noticed a lot of discussion about my age. I keep seeing all those stories about I'm being too old. Let me say something. I wasn't too old to create over 15 million new jobs to make sure 21 million Americans are insured under the Affordable Care Act; to beat Big Pharma, the first firm to ever do that, and lower the cost of it to USD 35 a season,” he said.
“Was I too old to relieve student debt for nearly 5 million Americans and grow the economy? Too old to put the first black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States of America, to sign the Respect for Marriage Act. Because they're too old to sign the most significant gun safety law in 30 years. To pass the biggest climate bill in the history of the world,” he pointed out.
The president added, “But then, my critics say, sure. But he did all that. But that was in the past. What about now? Well, how about the 200,000 jobs we announced yesterday? So let me ask you, what do you think? You think I'm too old to restore Roe v. Wade to the law of the land? You think I'm too old to ban assault weapons again?”
Meanwhile, in a statement, community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria expressed his enthusiasm for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris's bid to defeat Trump and safeguard democracy.
“President Biden reiterated his commitment amid challenging times, affirming his candidacy and determination to win the Democratic nomination,” the Indian-American said.
The president emphasised resilience in the face of adversity and called for unified efforts to secure victory against Donald Trump in the upcoming election, highlighting the importance of collective support and determination in this critical campaign, he added.
Bhutoria said he strongly supports President Biden and Vice President Harris to defeat Trump this November.
(With inputs from PTI)
