Amid growing calls from Democrats for President Biden, the presumptive nominee for the White House, to step down, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on Monday reiterated her support for the president.
“I spoke with the president over the weekend. I spoke to him at length,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters outside the Capitol on Monday night. “He’s been very clear then and since then that he’s been in this campaign.”
“This matter is closed,” she continued. “He reiterated that this morning. He reiterated that to the nation: Joe Biden is our nominee. He is not withdrawing from the race. He remains in the race and I support him.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement comes as the party seeks a way forward after Biden’s poor debate performance raised concerns about whether he is the best candidate to beat former President Trump in a November debate.
At least six House Democrats have publicly called for the 81-year-old incumbent to resign, and others have privately voiced similar sentiments. At the same time, some Democrats, including many leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, have solidified their support for Biden.
Biden, too, has remained adamant. He has vowed to stay in the race and dismissed calls to drop out as what party “elites” want, not rank-and-file voters. In a phone interview with MSNBC’s Morning Joe Monday, he called on other candidates to give him a shot.
“I’m frustrated with the elites in my party. ‘They know so much more,'” the president said. “Those who don’t think I should run will run against me. They’ll announce their candidacy for president and challenge me at the convention.”
Ocasio-Cortez reiterated her support for the incumbent president and contrasted Trump with Biden, noting that the former president was recently convicted of 34 felonies in New York state and that “not a single Republican has called for Donald Trump to be unseated as the nominee.”
She also said the Biden team must articulate a clear plan to address voters’ concerns and ensure that it “addresses issues that are critically important to workers across this country,” such as expanding Medicare and Social Security and providing rental and mortgage relief.
“If we can do that, if we can continue to address the student loan crisis, secure a ceasefire, and put that money back into investing in public policy, that’s how we win the election in November,” the New York Democrat said. “That’s my commitment and that’s what we want to make sure we make sure of.”
