As angry Democrats pounce on President Biden, he has a message: He's angry, too.
“I get very frustrated by the elites — the party elites who know a lot more,” Biden said sarcastically, calling into MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” his favorite cable news show. “If any of these guys don’t think I should be running, go ahead. Challenge me at the convention.”
Since his poor performance in last month’s debate, Biden has been under pressure to drop out of the race. The televised call was part of a larger effort to counter domestic pressure by mobilizing his party’s base and channeling national anger at elites that cut across both parties. Though public opinion polls show a large majority of Americans want Biden to drop out of the race, Biden has cast the move to persuade him to drop out as top-down and undemocratic.
“The voters of the Democratic Party have voted. They have chosen me as the party’s nominee,” he wrote in a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday, laying out his case for staying in the race. “Do we now say that this process didn’t matter? That the voters have no say?”
Biden’s call to the morning cable news shows to criticize his party’s leadership was reminiscent of former President Trump’s favorite method of communication. For years, even before he ran for office, he has been calling into “Fox & Friends” to speak his mind to friendly hosts.
Trump has held just one public event in the 11 days since then, allowing Democrats to publicly debate Biden’s future and keep the focus on Biden’s fragility, rather than Trump’s convictions or policy proposals. Congress is back in session this week, and more Democratic lawmakers are expected to weigh in, potentially putting more pressure on Biden to step down.
“It drives me crazy when people talk about this,” Biden said, asking, “Where the hell has Trump been?”
But he declined to say whether he had been tested for Parkinson's or other age-related diseases.
“I had a bad night,” he said with a knowing chuckle. “That’s why I’ve been out. I’ve been testing myself.”
