Jill Biden has spoken out about President Joe Biden's poor performance in Thursday's presidential debate, which has prompted calls for him to drop out of the race.
The Biden family used a gathering at Camp David on Sunday to urge the president to keep fighting despite his faltering performance in the debate against Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, according to reports.
The first lady told Vogue on Sunday that they "will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he's been president. We will continue to fight."
She added that the president "will always do what's best for the country."
The Biden campaign has been contacted for comment via email.
The first lady and Biden's son Hunter are among the strongest voices urging him to remain in the race, according to The Associated Press.
Both believe he can recover from "one subpar performance" and is the best person to beat Trump, the AP reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the discussions.
During the debate Biden spoke in a raspy voice, at times stumbled over his answers and appeared to lose his train of thought.
His performance reportedly sparked panic among Democrats and calls for him to be replaced ahead of November's election. But at this stage, the only way for that to happen would be if Biden chose to step down.
Seth Schuster, a Biden campaign spokesperson, told Newsweek after the debate that Biden was "not dropping out."
Biden acknowledged his poor debate showing at a campaign rally on Friday, where he told supporters that he would not be running if he didn't wholeheartedly believe he could do the job.
"Folks, I don't walk as easy as I used to. I don't speak as smoothly as I used to. I don't debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth," he said. "I know right from wrong. And I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. And I know, like millions of Americans know: when you get knocked down you get back up."
He added: "Folks, I give you my word as a Biden. I would not be running again if I didn't believe with all my heart and soul I can do this job."
Update 7/1/24, 8:05 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add additional information.
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Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's National Correspondent based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on abortion rights, race, education, sexual ... Read more
