President Joe Biden is “firmly committed” to staying in the presidential race, he wrote to Democratic lawmakers on Monday, asserting himself as the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump.
According to reports, following media reports about President Biden’s health after the debate, nine Democratic senators urged him not to run for re-election.
“I am determined to remain in this race, fight to the end, and defeat Donald Trump,” Biden said in a statement. letter “I’ve heard the concerns people have — their genuine fears and anxieties about what’s at stake in this election — and I’m not ignoring those concerns,” he told lawmakers.
“I can answer all of this clearly and without question: If I didn’t believe absolutely that I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024, I would not be running again,” he continued.
“I decline,” Biden said. “I feel a deep obligation to the trust and faith that Democratic voters have placed in me to run this year. That’s their decision to make — not the media, not the pundits, not big donors, not any select group of individuals, no matter how well-intentioned.”
“The voters, and only the voters, decide who the Democratic nominee is. How can we defend democracy in our country when we ignore democracy in our own party?” he added. “I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”
BREAKING: President Biden sends lengthy letter to Democratic lawmakers defending himself: “Despite media and other speculation, I am firmly committed to remaining in this race, fighting to the end, and defeating Donald Trump.” pic.twitter.com/MyI1BO3Dpk
— Matt Viser (@mviser) July 8, 2024
According to multiple media reports on Sunday, Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Don Beyer (D-VA) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.) are the latest Democrats to call on Biden to drop out of the race. They join five other Democrats who have previously publicly called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race: Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Angie Craig (D-MN) and Mike Quigley (D-IL).
RELATED — Democratic Rep. Doggett: I’ve spoken to people who’ve seen ‘noticeable changes’ in Biden recently, but I can’t comment on whether I’ve seen them myself
Biden’s fierce opposition to his reelection campaign has not been supported by Democratic leaders, with House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) still appearing to support Biden.
Political experts say Democrats have no choice but to turn to Biden for three reasons: the difficulty of replacing him with 50 states on the ballot, the difficulty of putting money behind a new candidate and the difficulty of finding a potential sacrificial lamb to run in Biden’s place.
Bad Joe Biden is clearly reading from a pre-written script, but it still makes no sense pic.twitter.com/83yassvOYc
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 8, 2024
Wendell Fsebo is a political reporter for Breitbart News and a former Republican War Room analyst. The Politics of Slave MoralityFollow Wendell “Bat” @WendellHusebø or The truth of society @WendellHusebo.
