Washington.- President Biden on Friday battled mounting pressure from Democrats questioning his viability as a candidate, publicly and privately defending his decision to continue running as lawmakers continued to call on him to drop his bid for re-election.
A day after a functional news conference aimed at calming growing resistance within the party to Biden’s candidacy, Democratic lawmakers returned to their districts anxious and uncertain about how to proceed.
His House leader made it directly clear to Biden that his members remain deeply concerned about the president’s candidacy.
And when he held a rally in Michigan, prominent Democrats did not stand by him.
Although at a rally in a Detroit high school gymnasium, Biden told a raucous crowd of supporters, “I’m not going anywhere.”
What he saw there is unlikely to change his mind. The crowd chanted “Don’t resign!” as Biden delivered a fiery address, at times mocking former President Donald J. Trump while drawing a stark contrast to his predecessor.
In a Trumpian touch, the president pointed toward the press and said, “They’ve been harassing me,” prompting boos from the crowd. “Guess what, Donald Trump already got a ticket.”
Back in Washington, Democratic Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader, revealed that he had a meeting alone with Biden at the White House on Thursday to convey his members’ feelings, at a time when many House Democrats have grave concerns about the president’s ability to defeat Trump in November.
In a letter to colleagues Friday that notably did not support Biden’s decision to stay in the race, Jeffries did not reveal what he told the president but said he told him what he has heard from Democrats — many of whom told him last week that the president should drop out of the race.
“That’s why I’m going to let people touch me and ask me questions,” Biden replied. “I know what I’m doing.”
Biden also acknowledged that promoting his accomplishments as president would not address voters’ concerns.
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