Defiant Biden vows to stay in presidential race ‘to the end’

Joe Biden has vowed to stay in the race for president, telling staff he is in it “to the end” amid growing pressure from Democrats to withdraw after a disastrous debate performance.

“Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running — no one’s pushing me out,” the US president said on a call with staffers from his reelection campaign.

“I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”

The Democratic governors of New York, Minnesota and Maryland said on Wednesday they would support Biden’s reelection bid after a candid discussion with him about his weak performance.

“The president has always had our backs. We’re going to have his back as well,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told reporters after a meeting with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.

Moore said the governors were frank in relaying negative feedback from constituents about Biden’s poor performance during the debate with Republican rival Donald Trump. He said there was clearly work to do before the Nov. 5 election, but Biden had made it clear he would stay in the race.

“The president … he’s our nominee. The president is our party leader,” Moore said. There has been growing talk among Democrats in recent days that 81-year-old Biden should drop out of the race.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she felt confident after the meeting and all the governors pledged their support to Biden. The president is “in it to win it,” she said.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said Biden’s debate performance on Thursday was bad but he felt the president was fit for office.

“Obviously we, like many Americans, are a little worried. We’re worried because the threat of a Trump presidency is not theoretical,” Walz said, adding that the previous Trump presidency was marked by “chaos, destruction.”

Nearly a dozen of the state leaders attended the meeting in person, but only three spoke with reporters afterwards.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who participated in person, posted his reaction on X: “I heard three words from the President tonight – he’s all in. And so am I.”

However two Democratic politicians have called on Biden to exit the race while a leading ally publicly suggested how the party might choose someone else.

Senior aides said they believed he might only have a matter of days to show he was up to the challenge before anxiety in the party boils over, the Associated Press reported.

Senator Chris Coons told the AP that in his private talks with the president: “We had a direct, open, clear-eyed conversation about the debate, his thoughts on what happened and why it wasn’t his best evening or best debate.”

“He wanted advice. He was asking earnestly for input and comment on what he should do to restore confidence and support, and what’s the best path forward.”

Earlier it was reported that Biden had told a close ally that his campaign may be unsalvageable if he can’t convince the public he’s up to the job.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that a key ally of the President said Mr Biden “knows if he has two more events like that [the debate], we’re in a different place” by the end of the weekend.

With agencies