Go ahead and challenge me, defiant Biden tells critics

Joe Biden said Democrats calling on him to stand down was “driving me nuts” as he dared his critics to “go ahead and challenge me” for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination.

The 81-year-old US president declared that “I am not going anywhere” after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump, 78, triggered calls among Democrats for him to stand aside.

Senior party figures including Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, have since raised questions about Mr Biden’s mental fitness.

Mr Biden said it was time to end speculation over the fate of his re-election bid in a letter to Democrats on Capitol Hill on Monday.

He wrote: “I have heard the concerns that people have – their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake in this election. I am not blind to them.”

But he stressed: “It’s time for it to end”, adding: “I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024. I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race.”

Shortly afterwards, he said he had called in live to MSNBC to say he was tired of “the elites in the party” who think “they know so much more” about this year’s White House race.

He urged sceptical Democrats to “run against me” when the Democratic National Convention meets in August to formally crown the party’s presidential candidate.

While Mr Biden has secured enough delegates to win the Democratic presidential nomination, some donors and lawmakers have called for him to step aside and let Kamala Harris, the vice-president, or another candidate lead the ticket.

“If any of these guys don’t think I should run – run against me. Go ahead. Announce for president. Challenge me at the convention,” he told MSNBC’s Morning Joe, his favourite morning US cable news programme.

He added: “I don’t care what those big names think. They were wrong in 2020, they were wrong in 2022 about the red wave, they’re wrong in 2024.”

The president conceded that he had “a terrible night” during his debate against Trump in Atlanta last month, but added: “I have not had many of those nights.”

In response to questions about his mental acuity, he said: “I have a neurological test every single day – try sitting behind this desk and making these decisions. 

“It drives me nuts people talking about this. I’m not going to explain any more about what I should or shouldn’t do. I am running”.

Listeners reported hearing the sound of paper shuffling as the president spoke.

At one point, he was asked specifically whether he had been tested for any “age-related illnesses, like pre-Parkinson’s or anything like that”.

Mr Biden skirted the question, saying he thought he had Covid on the night of the debate but was then up until 2am after it meeting crowds.

It came as Democratic members of Congress reportedly prepared to convene on Capitol Hill on Monday to press their party’s leaders to convince Mr Biden to step aside for a new candidate.

A growing number have voiced concern over their party leader’s poor public approval ratings, as well as fears about questions over his fitness to serve another four years.

They fear it could hurt their prospects for retaining the Senate, which they control by a 51-49 majority, and retaking the House, where Republicans have a 219-213 majority.

In his letter on Monday, Mr Biden said he has had “extensive conversations” with the leadership of the Democratic party and “most importantly, Democratic voters” over the past 10 days.

He said those voters had “spoken clearly and decisively” during the party’s nominating contest, during which he said he had “received over 14 million votes”. 

Speaking to MSNBC, Mr Biden added that he retained the support of the “average voter” and particularly noted his support among black voters.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week found that one in three registered Democratic voters believes Mr Biden should quit the race. However, the poll found that none of his potential successors fared better in a match-up against Trump. The poll found Mr Biden and Trump tied at 40 per cent each.