Washington.- President Biden on Friday told a Democratic lawmaker who called on him to drop out of the race that voters “should touch me and ask me questions” if they have doubts about his ability to remain in the Oval Office or defeat former President Donald J. Trump in November.
Biden made the remarks during a virtual meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to a partial transcript of his remarks obtained by The New York Times.
He responded to Rep. Mike Levin of California, who told Biden during the meeting that he believes the president should not pursue his bid to serve another term, according to two people familiar with the call.
Levin is the 19th member of Congress to call on Biden to back off, two weeks after Biden’s disastrous debate performance, but he is the first known to have told the president so directly — albeit virtually.
“That’s why I’m going to go out and let people touch me and ask me questions,” Biden told Levin.
“I know what I’m doing, because the truth is — I’m going to say something bold — no president has done in three years what we have done, except Franklin Roosevelt.”
In a statement after the meeting concluded, Levin said he “thanks Biden for his more than five decades of service but I believe the time has come for President Biden to hand over the baton.”
Levin said Friday that he had no comment beyond his statement, though it is clear that he has not retracted his comments and that nothing Biden said has changed his mind.
In his response to Levin, according to the transcript, Biden said he understood what Levin wanted to know “if he was OK right now, and that’s the bottom line, that’s what people are worried about.”
The president said many voters might compare him to his grandfather who is 85 years old and cannot walk and called it a “legitimate concern” that people are asking after his debate performance.
“That’s why I think it’s important for me to go out and show people how well I can move, how much I know, and that I’m still okay.”
Biden advisers have said for more than two weeks that they believe the president can reassure voters of his ability to defeat Trump by accelerating his campaign in the coming days.
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