US President Joe Biden is looking forward to “getting back on the campaign trail next week”, fortifying his commitment to stick in the race as more Democrats on Friday called for him to step aside as the party nominee.
“The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win,” he said.
His statement appeared to be in response to the conflicting reports that Mr Biden’s inner circle is discussing the beleaguered president’s future and whether he will remain in the race.
Over the last several weeks, Mr Biden has been caught in a whirlwind of political pressure to step down: Calls from leaders within his own party to withdraw from the race, a loss of big-ticket donors and the added pressure that his decision could cost Democrats control of Congress.
In his statement, the president referenced former President Trump’s Republican National Convention speech to say he will continue “exposing the threat” of the former president while “making the case” for his record.
“Donald Trump’s dark vision for the future is not who we are as Americans. Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box,” he said.
Since his poor debate performance last month, Biden has insisted he will continue to run, though his perspective on what it would take for him to step down as the Democratic nominee has evolved.
The Democratic National Convention begins 19 August, but the Democratic National Committee is expected to meet virtually the first week of August to nominate Biden as the official party nominee to meet state ballot deadlines.
The DNC rules committee met on Friday morning to discuss the procedures for the virtual roll-call vote, which they intend to hold before 7 August.
When asked whether another candidate could challenge Biden in the roll-call vote, the committee’s co-chair Leah Daughtry said that “any challenger would have to have the verified support of hundreds of delegates”.
With Biden winning nearly all of the available delegates during the Democratic primary, that requirement would be nearly insurmountable.
Ms Daughtry noted that “such a challenge has never happened over the past half century of competitive primaries”.
The pressure continues to build, however.
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