Biden responds to frantic Democrat calls for him to drop out of the presidential race
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Joe Biden insists he is in the 2024 race to the end amid a chorus of calls for him to step aside.
The president and Vice President Kamala Harris called into a campaign staff meeting on Wednesday during their lunch to reassure them after Biden's disastrous debate performance led to calls for him to bow out of the race.
'Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can – as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running,' Biden said on the call, according to reports.
He added: 'No one's pushing me out. I'm not leaving. I'm in this race to the end and we're going to win.'
The assurance comes after a New York Times report that said Biden told a key he was considering ending his reelection bid.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris sought to reassure campaign staff of the reelection viability during a lunchtime call on Wednesday
'He knows if he has two more events like that, we're in a different place' by the end of the weekend, the ally said in reference to the debate performance and upcoming events for the president.
The White House denied the report with Biden's deputy press secretary Andrew Bates writing on X: 'That claim is absolutely false. If the New York Times had provided us with more than 7 minutes to comment we would have told them so.'
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also told reporters during her briefing on Wednesday that Biden is not preparing to exit the race.
Biden is holding the annual Independence Day party at the White House on Thursday and traveling to Madison, Wisconsin on Friday where he will also sit down with ABC News for his first post-debate interview.
The President will then head to a campaign stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are key swing states that will help determine the outcome of the 2024 race.
In those states and the five other battlegrounds, Trump has pulled ahead in polling following their debate in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday, June 27.
New poll shows Donald Trump three points ahead on average in all seven swing states after the debate with Joe Biden last week
Since the debate, Biden and his team have conducted widespread damage control and reached out to reassure party members, staff, lawmakers, donors, allies and voters that Biden is still a viable candidate that can beat Trump again.
But many within the party are looking for other options and are floating those like Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
None are able to beat Trump in nationwide and battleground state polling and all fall behind Biden in his chances of winning against the former president.
