Biden refuses to withdraw and promises to “win,” despite the rebellion among the Democrats

US President Joe Biden, whose campaign is currently on hold after the octogenarian tested positive for Covid-19, has insisted he will remain his camp's candidate in the November presidential election. Dozens of prominent Democrats have called for his removal.

Joe Biden showed himself to be defiant on Friday, July 20, by confirming that he will resume his campaign, temporarily suspended due to Covid-19, next week, but without succeeding in silencing the voices urging the 81-year-old presidential candidate to pass the torch.

“Donald Trump’s bleak vision of the future does not represent who we are as Americans,” the Democrat said in a statement. “Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box.”

Joe Biden's symptoms, as he is in isolation at his private beachfront residence in Delaware, on the East Coast, have “improved,” according to his doctor. The president said he looks forward to returning to the campaign trail “next week.”

Democratic Convention in August

But his combative tone doesn’t hide the growing rebellion among Democratic leaders. Twelve elected officials from the House of Representatives and a fourth senator joined the group on Friday, calling on the president, who is seeking a second term against Republican Donald Trump, to make way for a younger candidate.

In all, more than 30 elected officials have publicly called on him to drop out of the race, and one of his biggest donors, businessman Michael Moritz, has called on him to step down and announced a suspension of his contributions to the party.

“Unfortunately, President Biden must choose: vanity or virtue,” he added. The New York Times.

“We must confront the reality that widespread public concerns about your age and physical condition are jeopardizing what should be a winning campaign,” four representatives, including Texas Rep. Mark Veasey, said in a joint letter. “Passing the torch… would energize the race and inject enthusiasm and momentum among Democrats ahead of our convention next month.”

Leaks

The excitement within the Democratic Party has been evident since the president stumbled during his debate with Donald Trump in late June. On that day, a very weak Biden, struggling to finish his sentences, appeared before the screens of his stricken supporters.

The whirlwind of questions about his mental acuity has not stopped since then, even if the president claims that he possesses full intellectual capabilities and that he is the most capable of defeating Donald Trump.

In recent days, a number of anonymous leaks to the media have spoken of a possible change in Joe Biden's state of mind, who would have become more receptive to concerns.

In a major development, former President Barack Obama, who still has significant influence within the party, according to the press, has expressed doubts about the “viability” of Joe Biden's nomination.

“Tough” last few weeks

“Joe Biden is running to win, he is our nominee and he will be our president for a second term,” the president’s campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, said Friday on MSNBC. She confirmed that he is “absolutely” still in the race for the White House, but acknowledged that the past few weeks have been “difficult.”

Other voices have voiced concern about the White House tenant’s demands to step down. Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a figure on the party’s left wing, cautioned against any rush, claiming that she “hasn’t seen an alternative scenario that, in my opinion, doesn’t put us at enormous risk.”

A series of polls show Joe Biden trailing Donald Trump, whom he beat in 2020. The contrast between the two rivals is currently striking and reflects the twists and turns of a campaign like no other.

While Joe Biden faces a crisis, Donald Trump appears to be living in a state of grace as he has spent the past few months before the courts — and also become the first former president to be criminally convicted. Last Saturday, he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. On Thursday evening, he was crowned the right-wing candidate in a lavish ceremony.