At his first major rally since the calls for his withdrawal reached a crescendo, President Biden hit back at his critics on Friday, forcefully declaring that he would remain in the race in 2024 despite the calls to withdraw.
Biden’s clearest signal yet is that he is hearing calls for him to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
“What’s Joe going to do? Are you going to stay in the race? Are you going to walk away? What’s he going to do?” Biden told a crowd at a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin.
“Well, here’s my answer: I’m going to run again and I’m going to win,” the president declared.
Biden is dealing with the fallout from his debate performance, during which he spoke in a husky voice and sometimes didn’t finish his thoughts. While he and his team try to stop the bleeding, the president, his campaign and his administration have come under intense scrutiny all week.
“Some people don’t seem to care who you voted for, but they’re trying to throw me out of the race. Let me be very clear: I’m going to continue to run,” Biden said.
Trump also used his age as an example of his accomplishments, and before each one he asked the audience if they were too old to mention things like student loan forgiveness, job creation and reducing health care costs.
He then criticized former President Trump, accusing him of his role in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, as well as his many legal issues, including criminal convictions.
“After what Trump did on January 6th, who would want to let him anywhere near the Oval Office again?” Biden said.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (Democrat) spoke before Biden at the event and voiced his support for the president. Reportedly As part of the debate’s aftermath, a highly anticipated meeting between Biden and the governors took place at the White House on Wednesday.
“Democrats are getting the job done for Wisconsin,” Evers said. “The choice in November is perfectly clear: Joe Biden is the only president who has consistently done a good job for Wisconsin.”
Biden began his speech by thanking former Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-Wis.), who he said introduced him to Wisconsin when he was a young senator, and looked up to the sky. Nelson died in 2005 at age 89.
After his remarks, Biden will appear for a highly anticipated interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, which will be Biden’s only unscripted on-camera appearance since the debate.
