Biden in fundraising pitch: 'No one is pushing me out'
President Biden said nobody “is pushing” him “out” in a fundraising email sent Wednesday as his campaign faces headwinds following a bad performance versus former President Trump in a debate last week.
“I'm the Democratic Party’s nominee,” the fundraising email reads. “No one is pushing me out. I'm not leaving, I'm in this race to the end, and WE are going to win this election. If that’s all you need to hear, pitch in a few bucks to help [Vice President Harris] and me defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Questions have swirled around whether Biden will remain at the top of the Democratic ticket after the debate. Some Democrats have even called for Biden to step out of the race or be replaced as the Democratic nominee.
“Look, this campaign is bigger than me or you,” the email said. “Everything we believe in, everything we stand for, and everyone we are fighting for are at risk in this election.”
On Wednesday, the White House was insistent that Biden is not leaving the presidential race.
“The president is not dropping out, that’s something the campaign has shared,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said to reporters.
Biden and Harris were part of a call with campaign staff Wednesday in which the president “unequivocally” said to the team he is trying to secure another term in the White House.
On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) made himself the first House Democrat to publicly push Biden to leave the presidential race in the wake of the debate. He was joined on Wednesday by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.).