- Biden rejects speculation he might drop out of US presidential race.
- “I'm running and we're going to win!” Biden tells his supporters.
- Urges media to focus on Trump's “lies” and “Project 2025.”
US President Joe Biden has once again refused to withdraw from the presidential race despite increasing calls from Democrats for him to step aside following a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
Addressing a rally in Michigan on Friday, Biden, 81, dismissed speculation he might drop out of the US presidential race and turned the focus back to his rival Trump, 78.
“There's been a lot of speculation lately. What is Joe Biden going to do? Is he going to stay in the race or is he going to drop out?” Biden told supporters in Detroit, amid chants of “Don't give up!”
“Here's my answer: I'm running and we're going to win! I'm not going to change that,” Biden said.
Despite mounting opposition, a defiant Biden came out fighting at a high-stakes news conference at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington on Thursday.
In the wake of the June 27 debate debacle, 19 Democratic lawmakers have called on him to withdraw from the race due to concerns about his health and mental acuity. AFP reported.
'Over my dead body'
At the Detroit rally, Biden sought to downplay summit gaffes, which included referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump” and confusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.
In scenes more reminiscent of his rival's rallies, where the press is often subject to insults, reporters in Detroit were booed after Biden addressed them and said they were “attacking me because I sometimes mix up names.”
Biden then urged the media to focus on Trump's “lies” and “Project 2025,” a power plan crafted by hardline conservatives that Democrats have said the former president would implement.
Trump denies being involved in the program.
“Americans want a president, not a dictator,” Biden said to applause. Referring to Trump's comment that he would only be a dictator on “day one” of his presidency, Biden said he would allow that to happen “over my dead body.”
