Washington: US President Joe Biden, currently facing one of the worst crises of his decade-long political career after a subpar debate performance against his GOP rival Donald Trump last week, is not considering stepping down from the race, his press secretary said Wednesday.
Biden, 81, is increasingly receiving calls from Democratic Party leaders and editorial boards of mainstream American media to step down from the presidential race and let others from the party lead them in the November 5 elections. So far, he has resisted these calls.
“Is President Biden considering stepping down in the race?” reporters asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during her daily news conference.
“Absolutely not. And you heard, I believe directly from the campaign as well,” she said amid a volley of similar questions from White House reporters.
“Given the groundswell of concern from fellow Democrats, from donors, from supporters, doesn’t he owe it to the American public to reflect on whether he should step down?” she was asked again.
“He’s done it a couple times at this point and laid out what happened that night, talked about how he understands, and it was not his best night,” Jean-Pierre said.
“He understands that it is fair for people to ask that question, but we cannot forget his record and what he’s been able to do. We cannot forget how he has been able to deliver for the American people for almost four years,” the press secretary said.
“That matters too, and he has the most historic record of administration, the most in modern politics and that should matter. And he wants to continue to do that work. And a lot of what’s on his agenda is very much popular with the majority of the American people, whether it’s continuing to build a strong economic policy,” she asserted.
On being asked again, “Is there anything, Karine, that would change his mind?” she said, “Look, I cannot lay out something that would change the president’s mind. He has been very clear and he’s going to continue to build on the unprecedented record that he’s been able to lay out for the American people. That’s his focus right now.”
At the press conference, Jean-Pierre had a tough time defending the President’s statement wherein he attributed his foreign trips to Europe as an explanation to his poor performance at the presidential debate against Trump in Atlanta last week.
“How is it that the president was still tired 12 days after returning from Europe, had a cold but then went to the Waffle House and then the following day, staged such a huge comeback that he gave those North Carolina Remarks? Help us understand,” the secretary was asked.
“There’s a cold. There’s a jet lag. You combine that, he continues to work for the American people day in and day out around the clock, things happen, things happen. And the cold thing is something that you all pointed out during his debate. We didn’t even point that out. You all pointed that when you heard his voice being hoarse, because he knew he had to push through,” Jean-Pierre said.
“He knew he has to power through. That’s what presidents do. If you care about this country and you don’t care about yourself, and you care about the American people. You care about delivering for this country, you care about how you’re going to continue to work day in and day out, you push through,” she said.
In response to a question about whether there is any discussion that if the president were to suspend his campaign, he would also resign, she said, “No. No. Absolutely not.”
Asked if there are any discussions about the vice president assuming Biden’s duties, she again said, “Absolutely not.”
“What I can say is the president is moving forward. He’s moving forward as being president. He’s moving forward with his campaign, as his campaign has been very, very clear about that. That’s what I can speak to and that’s what I can say. And that is the president’s focus,” the press secretary said.
“The president’s focus is how does he continue to do that work. And anything else that we’re hearing or that’s being reported is absolutely false,” Jean-Pierre added.
