The White House on Wednesday clarified what it meant when President Biden mistakenly said, “We’ve finally overcome Medicare” during last week’s presidential debate.
“He wanted to say he beat Big Pharma,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Said Asked about the president’s comments at a news conference, he said: “I mean, that’s what the president meant.”
The president’s comments on Medicare last Thursday night left some confused, and he is facing generally negative reviews for his performance in a debate with former President Trump, during which Biden spoke hoarsely and stumbled, sparking panic among Democrats and raising questions about whether he should remain at the top of the party’s shortlist.
The White House insisted Wednesday that Biden was not withdrawing from the presidential race, and in a fundraising email the same day, Biden said no one was “trying to get rid of” him.
“I am the Democratic candidate,” the fundraising email read. “No one is trying to get rid of me. I have no plans to go away. I am going to fight this race to the end. And we are going to win this election. If that’s all you want to hear, please support me by donating a few dollars.” [Vice President Harris] And I’m going to defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Some Democrats have called for Biden to either withdraw from the race or be replaced as the Democratic nominee. On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first House Democrat to publicly call for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race following the debate.
“President Biden continues to trail well behind Democratic senators in key states and also behind Donald Trump in most polls. We had hoped the debate would provide the momentum to change that, but that has not happened,” Doggett said in a statement. “Instead of reassuring voters, the president failed to effectively defend many of his accomplishments and expose many of Trump’s lies.”
