US President Joe Biden acknowledged he “failed” in last week’s debate with Donald Trump but vowed to keep fighting the election, in a move to reassure key allies.
Trump told a Wisconsin radio station that his stumbling performance was a “mistake” and asked voters to judge him on his time in the White House.
Amid reports Wednesday that Trump was considering his future, he sought to calm top Democratic officials, including state governors and campaign staff.
“I’m the Democratic candidate. No one is trying to get rid of me. I’m not leaving the party,” Trump said in a campaign-wide call, a source told BBC News.
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Vice President Kamala Harris also joined Biden on the call and reiterated his support.
Speculation is growing ahead of the November election as to whether she could become the party’s alternative candidate to the president.
A fundraising email sent after the Biden-Harris campaign call was also bullish: “Let me say this as clearly and simply as possible: I’m running,” Biden said.
After a debate in which he appeared staccato and his voice was weak, questions are swirling about whether the 81-year-old will continue campaigning.
This has raised concerns among Democrats about Trump’s fitness for duty and his ability to win the election.
With more and more polls showing his Republican rival’s lead widening, pressure on Biden to back down is only growing.
A New York Times poll conducted after the debate and released on Wednesday suggested that Trump now holds a six-point lead, his largest to date.
And a separate poll published by the BBC’s US partner CBS News suggested Mr Trump holds a three-point lead over Mr Biden in key battleground states.
Unfavorable polling for Biden has been exacerbated by some Democratic donors and lawmakers publicly calling on the president to step aside.
Among them is Ramesh Kapoor, a Massachusetts-based Indian-American businessman who has organized Democratic fundraisers since 1988.
“I think it’s time for him to hand over the baton,” Kapoor told the BBC. “I know he has the drive, but you can’t fight Mother Nature.”
Two Democrats in the House of Representatives also called for replacing the party’s top candidate, with the second, Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, telling The New York Times that it was time for Democrats to “look elsewhere.”
Nevertheless, the White House and Biden’s campaign have strongly denied reports that Biden is actively considering his future and say he is determined to defeat Trump again on November 5th.
The New York Times and CNN reported Wednesday that Biden told unnamed allies he recognized his reelection was in jeopardy.
Trump reportedly said upcoming appearances, including an interview with ABC News and a Friday rally in Wisconsin, are crucial to his campaign.
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The spokesman denied the reports as “categorically false,” and shortly after, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the reports about the president’s possible withdrawal were untrue.
Among the Democratic leaders Biden met with on Wednesday was a group of 20 state governors from around the country, including Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, both of whom are being eyed as possible candidates to replace Biden if he steps down.
“The president has always had our backs, and we’re going to have our backs,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told reporters after the meeting.
But Harris remains seen as the most likely successor. The 59-year-old is hampered by low approval ratings, but her support among Democrats has grown since the Biden-Trump debate.
Amid the speculation, Trump’s comments suggest he may be shifting his focus to attacking Harris.
In the video, obtained by The Daily Beast and shared online by Trump himself, Trump is seen riding in a golf cart and denigrating Biden, calling him “weak.” He suggests that Harris is “better” but still “pathetic.”
The vice president gave an interview to CNN immediately after the debate, in which he calmly expressed his full support for the president.
“She has always sought to be a good partner to the president,” former communications director Jamal Simmons told BBC News.
“The people who ultimately make the decision on who should be the nominee are those who are primarily loyal to him. Her best role is to be his partner.”
A source close to Harris said nothing has changed and that she will continue to campaign for the president.
Members of the Democratic National Committee are responsible for casting the votes at the party’s convention in August to formally select Biden as the party’s nominee and place him on ballots across the country.
Speaking to other delegates, one member, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about a sensitive discussion, told the BBC that Vice President Harris should be the nominee if Biden does not run.
“If we were to resume the tournament it would cause total chaos that would cost us in November,” they said.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports that Biden and his team know they must prove their fitness to be president in the coming days.
He is scheduled to visit Wisconsin and Philadelphia later this week and appear on ABC News on Friday in his first television interview since the debate.
The full interview with Wisconsin Civic Media will also be released on Thursday.
While he acknowledged that his performance was “ruined”, he told the station: “I was onstage for 90 minutes. Look what I’ve done in three and a half years.”
Adam Levy and Brajesh Upadhyay contributed to this report.
