“We’re not going anywhere,” President Biden said in a speech to military personnel and their families gathered at the White House for an Independence Day barbecue, criticizing former President Trump.
Biden spoke for about four minutes and then held a barbecue for active-duty military personnel and their families outside the White House, where he made some unscripted comments.
“I was in a World War I cemetery in France. […] “As a former president, I didn’t want to go there. I probably shouldn’t have said that,” Biden said during his speech, drawing laughter.
“But we have to remember who we are: We are the United States of America,” Biden continued.
Biden made similar criticisms of Trump during the first presidential debate last Thursday, A 2020 report from The Atlantic The document alleges that the former president referred to military personnel as “idiots” and “losers,” charges that Trump denies.
One supporter then shouted at Biden, “Keep fighting. We need you,” to which the president responded, “You helped me win. I’m not going anywhere.”
The president’s public behavior has come under intense scrutiny since last week’s first presidential debate, where he was seen to lose his train of thought, forget words and occasionally stare into space.
While the party has largely backed Biden, three House Democrats have called on the president to drop out of the race since Tuesday.
Trump’s team has acknowledged it performed poorly but has strongly opposed calls for him to resign, saying they are focused on defeating Trump.
As Biden fights for his political future, Trump has remained uncharacteristically silent.
Before President Biden addressed the crowd, first lady Jill Biden, university professors and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin gave speeches.
“I got in trouble for saying this years ago, and I make no apologies for it. As a government, we have many obligations, but there is only one truly sacred obligation: to prepare the people we deploy to dangerous places, to take care of them and their families when they come home and when they can’t come home,” Biden said.
“We are all part of a long chain of patriots that stretches back to our founding and that has given life to the American idea itself,” he added.
