President Joe Biden delivered an impassioned speech at a Friday rally in Wisconsin, vowing to stay in the race, as an increasing number of Democratic lawmakers, donors, and advisors see him as a liability in defeating Donald Trump.
Biden, who acknowledged that the first presidential debate wasn’t his “best performance,” took to the stage to squash conversations about replacing him months ahead of the election.
“I'm gonna run and I'm gonna win again,” he said on the mounting speculation.
Biden on the debate: "Can't say it was my best performance. Ever since then, there's been a lot of speculation ... well here's my answer: I'm gonna run and I'm gonna win again." pic.twitter.com/bCBpxmQGCo
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 5, 2024
In the charismatic performance — more reminiscent of his 2020 image than the debate in June — Biden threw punches at Trump, who seemed to incorrectly believe Biden had dropped out, according to a leaked video.
“By the way, if you wondered whether Trump has it all together, did you ever hear how he explained the 4th of July?” the president asked a crowd in Madison. “I’m not making this up . . . He said, 'George Washington's army won the revolution by taking control of the airports from the British!’ But talk about me misspeaking.”
Biden, who then jabbed that his opponent was a “stable genius” after all, had substantive attacks on Trump, too, claiming that “you can't be pro-insurrectionists and pro-America at the same time.”
After the resoundingly negative reaction within the party to his debate performance, sources close to Biden say he acknowledges that he has a short window to flip public sentiment in terms of his ability to lead the nation.
The Friday rally in Madison came after public appearances in New York City and North Carolina, in which he seemed much more invigorated than some media narratives suggest.
Biden’s more energetic, coherent performances come as many Democratic donors and pundits claim he’s too old to effectively serve another term, which the president’s campaign dismissed as attempts to “push” him “out.”
“I'm not letting one 90-minute debate wipe out 3.5 years of work,” the president said, addressing the party insiders who want to remove him from the ticket.
