President Biden, facing headwinds after his campaign slumped following last week’s debate against former President Trump, said in a fundraising email sent Wednesday that no one is “trying to out” him.
“I am the Democratic candidate,” the fundraising email read. “No one is trying to get rid of me. I have no plans to go away. I am going to fight this race to the end. And we are going to win this election. If that’s all you want to hear, please support me by donating a few dollars.” [Vice President Harris] And I’m going to defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Doubts are swirling about whether Biden will remain the leading Democratic candidate after the debate, with some Democrats even calling for him to either drop out of the race or be replaced as the Democratic nominee.
“Look, this campaign is bigger than me or you,” the email read. “Everything we believe in, everything we stand for, and everything we’re fighting for is at stake in this election.”
The White House stressed Wednesday that Biden has no plans to withdraw from the presidential race.
“The president is not backing down. That’s something the campaign has shared,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
Biden and Harris took part in a conference call with campaign staff on Wednesday, with the president telling his team “unequivocally” that he is seeking to secure another term in the White House.
On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (R-Texas) became the first House Democrat to publicly call on Biden to drop out of the presidential race following the debate, and was joined on Wednesday by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona).
