President Joe Biden is vowing to keep fighting for the presidency after a devastating debate defeat left Democrats panicking and questioning their ability to win the election.
According to reports, Associated PressBiden and Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on a conference call with campaign staff on Wednesday to try to ease tensions within the party and make clear they are committed to playing the long game.
Citing three sources, the outlet described the call as a kind of “pep talk” and that “he emphasized the importance of the election and returned to Biden’s previous post-debate comments that even if he was beaten, he was going to get up and win the election.”
A person on the call claimed Biden made his intentions abundantly clear, saying, “Let me say this as clearly as I can, as simply as I can, as bluntly as I can: I’m running…No one is trying to get rid of me. I’m not resigning. I’m going to fight this race to the end, and we’re going to win.”
President Biden’s remarks during the just-concluded campaign conference call (by call participants):
“I want to say it as clearly as I can, as simply as I can, as frankly as I can: I’m running. No one’s trying to get rid of me. I’m not going away. I’m going to fight this race to the end, and we’re going to win.”
— Elena Schneider (@ec_schneider) July 3, 2024
This so-called “pep talk” came after days of widespread panic among Democrats and their media colleagues that began literally as soon as the debate ended on Thursday night. The CNN panel reacting to the debate was quick to acknowledge that the 81-year-old Democrat performed so poorly that he had to be escorted off the stage by his wife, First Lady Jill Biden.
Related — “Panic!” CNN panel upset over Biden’s disastrous debate performance
CNN
The debate was marked by a frequently confused Biden, who failed to use up his allotted time, repeating the phrase “ideas” more than 20 times, reviving defeated Democratic talking points including the “very fine people” fabrication and freezing the floor just a few minutes into the debate.
RELATED — What was that?! After a week of rest and preparation, Biden coughed, stumbled and rambled his way through the debate
Courtesy of CNN Presidential Debate
Internal polling by Biden’s own super PAC, leaked after the debate, sparked further panic by showing that Trump was not only widening his lead in key battleground states, but closing in on Biden in traditionally Democratic states, including Minnesota — in other words, Biden was losing support after the debate.
NEW: NYT/Post-Siena debate poll finds Trump has a 3 percentage point lead among voters nationwide.
Trump: 49%
Biden 43%It’s the largest lead Trump has ever had in the Times poll. https://t.co/mPO5NsijiS
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) July 3, 2024
Despite the polls Showing While reports suggest that roughly one-third of Democrats and Democratic supporters want Biden out, the Biden campaign is now receiving more support from Democratic heavyweights, including former President Barack Obama and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D). Newsom “stood up” with Biden at the Democratic Governors Conference at the White House, despite the ongoing wildfire emergency. Similarly, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) also left her state to attend the conference and miss scheduled campaign events to show her support for the president. Funeral of a fallen police officer It was held on Wednesday.
