Biden says won't leave race, doesn't need cognitive test
Kyiv • UNN
Biden vows to stay in the presidential race despite calls from some Democrats to drop out after a poor debate performance, rejecting claims of his mental acuity and insisting he can beat Trump.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday "fought to quell the rebellion" among some Democrats who were forcing him to abandon his re-election campaign after a poor debate performance, vowing to "stay in the race," saying he had not taken a cognitive test and "no one said I needed to," and admitting he could not call last week's debate his best performance, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
In an impassioned speech to supporters in Wisconsin and in an interview with ABC News, Biden argued that he is the best Democratic candidate to prevent Republican Donald Trump from returning to the White House in the November 5 election.
Biden's poor performance during his debate with Trump on June 27 has raised serious concerns among some Democrats about his mental acuity and stamina at the age of 81. A movement has been launched within the party to persuade him to step down, with critics warning that he faces an almost certain defeat and could drag other Democrats down with him. House Democrats and a group of senators are expected to meet on the issue when they return to Washington next week, the newspaper writes.
Some opinion polls have shown Trump increasing his lead after the debate, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that one in three Democrats wants Biden to drop out of the race.
On Friday, Biden rejected such calls.
"Last week we had a small debate. I can't say it was my best performance. But since then, there has been a lot of speculation. What will Joe do? Will he stay in the race? Will he drop out?" Biden said. - "Well, my answer is: I'm running and I'm going to win again.
Biden reportedly used the 22-minute interview with ABC News to reiterate that he just had a bad night at the debate, but was otherwise fine.
Under persistent questioning from an ABC interviewer, Biden dismissed polls that showed him trailing Trump and said other polls showed him in a better position.
Asked whether he had taken a special cognitive test for a neurological examination, Biden said he had not, and "no one said it was necessary." According to him, the White House's rigor is enough. During his last medical examination on February 28, he was found fit for duty, the newspaper writes.
Biden added that he is the best candidate to stand up to Trump and that only "the Almighty God" can force him out of the race.
Biden's latest attempts to convince Democrats to support him were rejected by some, although he seemed determined to fight on.
Senator Mark Warner, a respected moderate Democrat, is inviting Democratic senators to a meeting on Monday to discuss Biden's campaign, a source told Reuters. The Washington Post reported that Warner tried to ask the group to force Biden to drop out of the race.
Biden told reporters that he had spoken to at least 20 lawmakers and that they told him to stay. When asked about Warner's urging him to leave, Biden said: "Well, Mark Warner, as far as I'm concerned, is the only one who's considering it.
At the rally, Biden said he was grateful for the support of his vice president, Kamala Harris, who was the best choice to replace him if he left the Democratic Party's standard-bearer.
In his speeches on Friday, Biden criticized Trump's intelligence and called him a liar, making sharp attacks that were not present when he appeared on the stage of the debate in Atlanta.
But he had harsher words for those in his party who doubt his ability to lead them to victory on November 5.
"They are trying to push me out of the race. Well, let me say this as clearly as possible: I'm staying in the race! I will beat Donald Trump. I will defeat him again in 2020," Biden said, misstating the year. He continued by saying, "And by the way, we're going to do it again in 2024.
Several donors and business leaders have been vocal in their dissatisfaction with Biden's candidacy, pulling funding or considering possible alternatives among Democrats. Even some of Biden's closest political allies, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have raised questions about his health, the newspaper writes.
