The US President Joe Biden will continue to be a part of the Presidential race according to an email sent out by the Biden campaign.
“Folks, let me be clear: I’m running. I’m the Democratic Party’s nominee. No one is pushing me out.I’m not leaving.I’m in this race to the end, and we are going to win this election. If that’s all you need to hear, pitch a few bucks to help Kamala and me to defeat Donald Trump in November.”
This came days after Biden's disastrous performance at the 2024 US Presidential debate, following which several reports suggested that Democrats are likely to drop him from the race.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also cofirmed that Biden is not considering stepping down. “Absolutely not,” she said.
“I cannot lay out something that would change the president’s mind," Jean-Pierre said about Biden continuing to seek a second term.
Meanwhile, several leading Democratic governors said they were firmly behind President Joe Biden after a meeting at the White House following last week’s disastrous debate performance.
“The president was very clear that he is in this to win this,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told reporters after the gathering late Wednesday. “The president is our nominee. The president is our party leader. And the president has told us, and he was very clear back there, that he is in this to win this.”
“None of us are denying Thursday night was a bad performance,” said Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, referring to Biden’s debate, when he stumbled over answers and spoke in a raspy voice. “But it doesn’t impact what I believe he’s delivering.”
The meeting included more than 20 governors, with approximately half attending in person with the others participating virtually.
Biden has admitted that he "almost fell asleep on stage" and "was not very smart" enough to handle his schedule before the first presidential debate with Donald Trump, blaming his extensive foreign travels for his disastrous performance.
“I wasn't very smart. I decided to travel around the world a couple of times...shortly before the debate,” Biden said while talking to donors at a fundraiser in a Virginia suburb of Washington DC on Tuesday.
“I didn't listen to my staff...and then I almost fell asleep on stage,” he said, amidst pressure on Biden to quit the race for the White House due to his advancing age.
Biden admitted that he did not have a good debate, and apologised by saying that he was sorry for the performance.
"It’s not an excuse but an explanation," he said.
The president’s remarks at the fundraiser lasted just six minutes, which is far shorter than what he speaks on such occasions.
