President Joe Biden denied on Wednesday that he is dropping out of the presidential race after The New York Times reported earlier in the day that he had acknowledged that his campaign was in serious trouble if he could not convince voters in the coming days about his mental fitness for office.
Biden said during a call with staffers on his re-election campaign: “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running.”
“No one is pushing me out,” he continued. “I’m not leaving. I’m in this race to the end and we’re going to win.”
During the call, Vice President Kamala Harris added: “We will not back down. We will follow our President’s lead. We will fight, and we will win. Joe Biden has devoted his life to fighting for the people of our country. In this moment I know all of us are ready to fight for him.”
Biden’s campaign sent supporters a fundraising email Wednesday afternoon that reiterated Biden’s commitment to stay in the race.
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) sent out a separate email stating that Biden is “staying in.”
“He is the leader of the Democratic Party,” the email said. “If we’re with him, not only is he going to win, but we are going to elect Democrats up and down the ballot this fall.”
The White House also gave the message to reporters on Wednesday when asked if Biden would drop out of the race.
“Absolutely not,” said Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “And you heard, I think, I believe, directly from the campaign as well.”
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