NEW DELHI: President Joe Biden said on Friday that he plans to defeat Republican rival Donald Trump in the upcoming November presidential election. Despite a poor debate performance that disappointed many Democrats, he has no intention of dropping out of the race.
โI know Iโm not a young man, obviously,โ a cheerful Biden said at a rally the day after he debates with Trump, which many saw as a loss for the 81-year-old president. โI donโt walk as easily, speak as smoothly, or debate as well as I used to,โ he admitted, while the crowd chanted, โFour more years.โ He added, โI wouldnโt run again if I didnโt wholeheartedly believe I can do this job. The stakes are too high.โ
Bidenโs speech slip-ups and sometimes wandering answers during the debate made voters worry if heโs capable of another four years in office, prompting some Democrats to consider replacing him as their candidate for the November 5 election. Campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said theyโre not discussing that option. โWe prefer a candidate who had one bad night over one with a bad plan for the countryโs future,โ he told reporters.
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The campaign held an urgent meeting on Friday afternoon to reassure staff that Biden is not dropping out of the race, according to two people who were there. Although Trump, 78, made several false statements during the debate, the attention afterward was mainly on Biden, especially among Democrats. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, dodged the question when asked if he still believed in Bidenโs candidacy.
The Biden campaign announced it raised $14 million on Thursday and Friday, with its best hour of fundraising right after the Thursday night debate. The Trump campaign said it raised $8 million on the night of the debate.
One possible upside for Biden: preliminary data showed only 48 million Americans watched the debate, much fewer than the 73 million who watched the last one in 2020. Biden, the oldest American president ever, faced minimal opposition during the partyโs nominating contest and has secured enough support to be the Democratic nominee.
